Sapphire Rose
by darkmageliz
Summary: Diana and Yugi are back! It's a whole new adventure in an entirely different world. Diana's magical skills and dueling will be tested like never before!
1. a New Mission and the Baby

—_Hi everybody! It's Rizu again! Look what I've got! It's Sapphire Rose, the sequel to Red Rose Angel! You thought Diana and Yugi would just live a normal life with no more worries and dangers. O.o – yeah right…well now Diana has a new kind of adventure. And it's gonna be without Yugi! –gasp– Don't worry…Yugi's still a main character in this fanfic, but he has his own problems to worry about. Plus, you're gonna see the return of two very nasty bastards. This Serena girl is also gonna be a main character too. Serena is based on a good friend of mine. Not only is she a YGO fan, but she loves Rex and Weevil. o.o_

**Chapter 1 – a New Mission and the Baby**

"Ten months and three days…" said the red, black and golden haired King with a sigh.

The High Druid, Simon Mcmooran, looked up as he walked passed the throne. "Sire?"

"I was just saying that it has been ten months and three days since I became King."

Simon smiled and nodded. "Oh aye, it has, your Majesty. Britain has been very peaceful since you took the throne."

Yugi chuckled. He stood and walked down one corridor and then another until he found his study. A huge wooden desk sat near the fireplace with an ink well and quill pen lay out with some papers ready to be looked at. Yugi sighed. He had become a bit bored lately. He had not seen his brother since the coronation and the banquet celebration. Tea had occasionally come to the castle to visit Yugi's love, Diana, but she never spoke about Yami whose real name was Alexander.

Yugi's real name was Henry and he used to be the exiled Prince of Lancaster during the War of the Roses. That was until his mother, Lady Margaret, sent Simon to summon a champion from the future. Yugi sat at his desk and laughed out loud. _Who would have thought that the champion we brought here from the future would turn out to be the one I fell in love with,_ he thought.

It was true too. Diana Sapphire the Rose Duelist was the champion they needed to win the War, which they did. Yugi had fallen deeply in love with Diana and even made love to her after his coronation. He didn't get her pregnant—to his partial relief—but Diana had been acting strange since a couple days after that night.

"But if she is pregnant with my child, I think I would have noticed." Yugi said to himself. "I wonder…"

As if in answer to his wondering, he jumped at the high-pitched squeal of a baby. Yugi's thoughts were pulled in different directions as he went in search of the source of the sound. What if Diana really had become pregnant and the baby who was crying was his! He partly wanted to believe that and be the father of Diana's children, but he partly wasn't ready to be a father until he and Diana at least got married.

——————

Diana cuddled the little bundle of pink skin wrapped in soft blankets. Tea smiled as the baby gurgled sweetly and reached up to try and pull Diana's hair. Diamond Dust the silvery gray pooka mewed and climbed onto Diana's shoulder to get a better view of the baby. The baby stared back at the pooka with big, crimson eyes. The pooka nuzzled at the baby's soft tuffs of brown hair.

"Adorable…what's his name?" Diamond Dust asked.

"It's a girl, Diamond Dust." Tea said tiredly.

"And _her_ name is Cara, right Tea?" Diana asked.

Tea nodded and slumped in the chair she was sitting in. Diana was sitting on the edge of the bed she shared with Yugi. She had come to love the 14th century even if electricity or computers or television hadn't even been thought of yet. Diana had never watched that much television anyway and she was always at a constant war with technology. _I think this century suits me, except for the lack of decent transportation,_ Diana thought. _Oh well! I usually walked everywhere back in my time._

Yugi suddenly came into the room and Tea straightened slowly. "Hello your Majesty."

He stared wide-eyed at Diana and Cara. Diana blinked at him. "What? Have you never seen an adorable baby before?"

Yugi stumbled backwards and caught himself on the door frame. "Is…is it ours, Diana?"

Diana blushed furiously. "No. Cara's your niece, silly!"

Tea smiled. "She's mine and Yami's daughter."

Yugi let out a sigh of relief. He walked over and sat down next to Diana. "Want to hold her, Henry?" Diana asked. Diana had gotten into the habit of calling Yugi by his real name. No one except Lady Margaret and Yami had ever called Yugi by his real name until now.

Yugi looked at Tea for permission, but she was asleep. Yugi took Cara from Diana's arms very gently and held her softly. The baby giggled sweetly and slowly fell asleep as the King rocked her back and forth. "Isn't she cute?" he heard Diana say.

"Yes she is."

"Were you afraid that she was your daughter?"

"Our daughter, love." Yugi corrected her. "And no…you've been acting a bit strangely since we consummated our love."

Diana frowned and bushed again. "Well, I'm not pregnant or anything. I'd tell you if I was, you know. Besides I'd rather wait until I'm married before having kids."

Yugi smiled when he heard his own thoughts echo in her words. "You want to marry me?"

Diamond Dust fell off Diana's shoulder when she heard that. Diana felt like fainting herself. "Are…are you asking for my hand in marriage?"

The King paused for a second. "Do you want me to?"

"W-w-well…no I…I don't think I'm ready yet."

Yugi nodded. "That's reasonable, Angel." He always referred to Diana as 'Angel' and almost never by her real name, though she never understood or bothered to ask why.

Cara wiggled a little, but continued to sleep soundly. Yugi smiled at her. "So my brother has been busy, has he?"

Diana choked back a laugh. "Guess so. He and Tea were married just a month after your coronation, Henry. No one except Joseph and Lady Margaret were there."

"Yes my mother told me about their wedding. I wish I could have gone."

Diana shrugged. "You can come to our wedding, if and when we have one."

Yugi chuckled quietly so as not to wake the baby. "I should hope so. I have to attend my own wedding." He pressed his lips softly against hers. "And I will marry you someday, Angel. Because I do want us to be together forever."

Diana smiled and kissed him. "I know you do, Henry."

Simon came scurrying into the room just as Tea had awakened from her nap and Yugi handed the baby to her. "Your Majesty, a representative from the Third and Fourth World has arrived. He says that it is very urgent that he speak to you and Lady Diana."

"Why? What's wrong, Simon?" Diana asked, getting to her feet.

"He did not say, Diana. But from the look on his face, I don't think it is good news." Simon said. Diamond Dust straightened and Diana could feel the pooka's concern in her heart. Ever since she had bonded to Diamond Dust, Diana had been able to sense the pooka's inner emotions.

Yugi looked at Diana. "Let's go see him then." Diana nodded and followed her King.

——————

Diana blinked when she saw the creature waiting for them. It was an elf dressed in off-white pants with a perfectly white tunic embroidered with gold and silver. Draped around his shoulders and back was a chiffon colored cape. The elf knelt as Yugi came to sit in his throne. Diana stood beside the throne and admired the pretty blonde hair of the elf.

The elf stood and said, "Greetings, your Majesty and Rose Duelist. I am Findecáno Fëfalas, Fin for short. I represent those of the Third Race on a matter of grave importance."

"Please, continue." Yugi said.

"Since the War's end, both of our worlds have been peaceful and the Third and Fourth World has been left untouched by mortal hand and eye. Yet in the passed few months, we have encountered strange swarms of humans invading our World."

"Strange humans?" Diana asked, raising one eyebrow.

Diamond Dust simply stared at Fin. "Why in the world would you come here with such a small matter, Fëfalas? A few months time is merely hours compared to how long you and I have lived."

Fin nodded. "True, Lady Diamond. But these humans are very different and a very real threat. They can somehow suck the immortality out of our people. They have some kind of magic that can do this."

Diana cringed as she felt Diamond Dust's horror and fear like an arrow to her heart. "D-Diamond Dust…"

The pooka ignored her. "What about my fellow pooka? Are they all right?"

"I do not know." Fin turned to address Yugi. "We are in need of your assistance, Majesty."

"And you shall have it, Fin. I owe your people a great debt for strengthen our forces during the War."

Suddenly, a knight burst into the room and knelt on one knee a few paces behind the elf. "Your Majesty, I have terrible news."

"What is it?" Yugi asked, trying to contain the annoyance in his voice.

"There is a strange army invading Chester, sire. I tried to send a small band of troops to stop them, but there were more knights than what I had originally thought. I sent only fifteen men, but only two returned back alive. The other thirteen were sent back in strips of flesh and bone."

Diana's eyes widened. "Could they be the same invaders in your world, Fin?"

Fin shrugged. "I do not know, Rose Duelist. But please I am in need of desperate help!"

Yugi looked from the knight to the elf and then to Diamond Dust. The pooka was ridged with worry for her people and her concern was evident on Diana's face as well. He motioned for Diana to lean in close. He whispered in her ear, "What is it you want to do?"

Diana bit her lower lip in thought. Diamond Dust was so worried and the elf looked just as worried. She whispered back, "I want to help Diamond Dust and Fin."

"What if I need you here, Angel?"

"Then do what you can. Like you said, we owe the Third and Fourth Race for helping us." Diana said. His hand clutched hers as she added, "I'll be careful, I promise."

Diana straightened and Yugi announced, "I will send Diana to help you, Fin." He then addressed the knight, "As for these invaders, call all my commanding officers to my study and we will discuss it further."

The knight bowed his head and left as swiftly as he'd come. Fin bowed to Diana. "I thank you, my lady."

"You're welcome. Just let me go get my dueling deck." Diana turned and went back to her room. Diamond Dust ran after her and jumped on her shoulder.

"I can't thank you enough for doing this, Diana. It really means a lot to me." the pooka said.

"I know, Diamond Dust. I promise you that we'll save your people from these immortality sucking jerks." Diana told the pooka.

—_Yay…well, that's only the start of the sequel. Who thinks Diana and Yugi will someday get married? –watches everybody raise their hands– xD thought so…I think I might fill this fanfic with more magic than duels. I mean we saw in Red Rose Angel that Diana has some damn powerful magic. I mean she brought Yugi back to life for Pete's sake! Don't worry…I'll throw in two or three duels while I'm at it. As well as maybe some Ryou and Bakura fluff – oh snap…I just gave away the first nasty bastard. Oh well…see ya'll at Chapter 2._

_Oh...I forgot about my new Yami/Yuugi fanfic on Mediaminer. Here's the link if you want to see it:_ www (dot) mediaminer(dot)org/fanfic/viewch.php/87776/292334/

_Hopefully the link showed up...if not, then let me know if you want to read it and I'll e-mail you the link (be sure and put spaces in-between the letters)_


	2. Thar Amrun

—_Hey! I'm back with another chapter of Sapphire Rose! I'm sure somebody's wondering why my Red Rose Angel sequel is called "Sapphire Rose" – well, "Sapphire" is obviously Diana's last name…and "Rose" is the name that Diana will eventually be known as in the Third and Fourth World. Okay, to recap as usual: Diana is going to the Third and Fourth World to help Fin the elf kick invader ass. Who is behind this? What will happen to Yugi? Here's where you start to find out._

**Chapter 2 – Thar Amrun**

Diana summoned Magician's Valkyria to stay by her side. She called the card "Val" because both card and duelist shared a special bond that no one would ever break. Val sensed the danger in the World and Diana knew it. She would need Val's help in this new world.

"We must hurry, Rose Duelist." said Fin. Diamond Dust scratched gently at Diana's shoulder. Diana stroked the pooka's fur in comfort.

"Then let's go." Diana said. Fin nodded and mounted his horse. Diana mounted too and they rode off towards the forest. Val followed from the air. A half hour later, she called down_, "My lady, I sense we are getting close. The elf must have opened a portal into this world from his."_

"_Okay. Don't worry Val. Everything's going to be fine."_

Suddenly, the air in the forest became filled with smoke. Diana's horse shied, but Diana regained her control of the stead and soothed him. "The forest is burning!" Diamond Dust shouted.

"No! Yami and the Bandits will be killed." Diana said. Diamond Dust jumped off Diana's shoulder and said, "Go on without me. I'll help the Bandits!"

Diana nodded and followed Fin with Val tagging along behind. The elf led them directly through a giant tree. Diana's horse was afraid at first, but Val smacked his rump with her staff and the stead jumped through the tree and bucked Diana off.

"GAHHH!" Diana screamed as she somersaulted through the air and landed with a hard thud on the ground. "Ow…that was fun…" Val knelt by her side and helped Diana back to her feet. The horse she'd been riding took off and Diana didn't feel like looking all over creation for him.

Diana gasped at what lay before her. Rolling grassy hills like ocean waves spread out for miles with little islands of alien flowers floating in the grass. The hills end sharply in groves of trees and tall mountains with snow-covered peaks. Far ahead, there loomed a beautiful castle with whitewashed walls and tall red roofs that glistened and reflected the sun perfectly. It was like a paradise.

"It's…amazing. Fin, is this your home?"

"My world, yes." Fin replied. "Lady Diana Sapphire, congratulations…you are the first human to ever set foot in Thar Amrun."

"Thar Amrun? Is that what your world is called?"

"Those of the Third and Fourth Race call it that, but humans refer to it as the Third and Fourth World."

"I think I like Thar Amrun better. It sounds more mysterious."

"Mysterious to me, maybe, Lady Diana. But it is no mystery to us."

"_Thar Amrun means 'beyond morning,' Diana."_ Val said.

Diana turned to her mage friend. "Beyond morning?" she repeated.

"_Yes. Because we were headed in the direction of the rising sun, remember?"_

"_Oh yeah. I understand."_

"Come Rose Duelist." Fin called over his shoulder. He dismounted his horse and began walking across the grass.

"Wait up, I'm coming!" Diana shouted, jogging after him.

"Hurry up. My commander, Dark Shadow is waiting for us."

——————

Meanwhile, back at the castle, Yugi and his commanding officers were formulating a plan on what to do about the invaders. A lot of the officers—all of them proud, high-ranking knights—were disagreeing about how to handle the invaders.

"From what we've seen, they keep heading southeast, towards the castle."

"Every town they find, they destroy. Who knows how many poor souls have died!"

"Your Majesty, I suggest we raise a huge army and face these invaders head-on!"

"You idiot, if we do that then we could loose thousands of men! Remember what happened to the thirteen men that didn't survive?"

"Silence!" Yugi said finally. "It's true that we must find a way to destroy these invaders before any more of my people are killed, but I do not want to loose any more of my loyal knights. Too many brave men have died during the War."

"What shall we do, my lord?" asked one officer.

"We need the Rose Duelist!" said another officer. "With her power, we can surely destroy those barbarians."

"Diana went to help those of the Third and Fourth World. Apparently, they are having their own invasion troubles."

"Who cares about them!"

Yugi punched the officer in the face and slammed him against the wall. "Fool! Without their support and aide, then you would have been forced into the Yorkist army! Hell, Rosenburg would have had you beheaded for wearing Lancastrian armor!"

He released the knight and looked at the others. "We owe the immortal ones our thanks and Diana volunteered to help them. If their invaders and our invaders are the same, then perhaps we will have to band together and destroy our common enemy."

The door was flung open and Joseph and Tristan ran in with Diamond Dust. Yugi stared at them. "Joseph! Tristan! What are both of you doing here?"

"Yugi, we—" Joseph started, but Tristan smacked his across the back of the head.

"Your Majesty, these bizarre knights torched the forest. If Diamond Dust hadn't shown up we would have all probably died." Tristan said.

Yugi was furious and turned to his officers. "Tell every able knight to be ready for battle. We're going to find these invaders and I'll use my own monsters to help us."

The officers saluted and left, including the one Yugi punched in the face. Joseph and Tristan led Yugi out to the throne room. The Bandits were sitting on the floor with burns and bruises. Yami was standing nearby, cradling Cara in his arms. Rex and Weevil were with him and Weevil was making faces at Cara, making her laugh.

Joseph walked over and took Cara from Yami. "Whose a cute little girl! Whose Joseph's favorite sweetheart!" he cooed at Cara, while lifting her up high and the baby squealed with delight.

"Careful not to look at her too long, Joseph. You might scare her." Rex joked. After getting out of the dungeon, Weevil and Rex—along with Serena—had joined Yami as Bandits of the Rose. Serena was Rex's girlfriend. Though she hadn't visited the castle very often, Serena admired Diana for how brave she was. She was also very grateful that Diana wanted to save the man Serena loved.

Serena and Tea were helping tend to the injured Bandits. Yugi smiled at his twin brother. "Alex, it's good to see you again. Your daughter is very beautiful."

Yami nodded. "Thank you, brother. I am relieved that Cara and Tea were not in the forest when we were attacked. Diamond Dust has told me that Diana went to the Third and Fourth World to help the immortal creatures that live there."

"That would be so cool if we could go there! We'd get to see all the creatures of myth and legend!" Weevil said to Rex.

"Cool? You think it'll be cold in that world?" Joseph asked, giving Cara back to Yami.

"No, you idiot. Apparently, in the future, cool means 'great' and 'excellent.' Diana taught us that." Weevil replied.

"Oh…okay." Joseph looked at Tristan who shrugged. Joseph folded his arms across his chest and said, "The future's awfully strange."

"Alex, these invaders could be the same ones that are invading the Third and Fourth World. From what we know, these knights can suck the immortality from creatures like Diamond Dust and other creatures of legend."

Simon came forward and said, "My lord, if Diamond Dust dies, then Diana will too."

Yugi stared wide-eyed at the Druid. "What did you say, Simon!"

"Diamond Dust and Diana have bonded their souls together. If either one of them dies, then the other will die shortly after. They bonded souls after your coronation."

Yugi clenched his fists. "No! Why did you allow this Simon? Diana is in more danger than ever now!"

"Calm down, Henry." Yami said. "Diana will be all right. We have to worry about our own problems. I know it's hard, but you have to put her out of your mind and worry about your people."

Yugi sighed heavily. "You're right. Alex, I need to borrow some of your men."

"Barely any of my men are still able to fight, brother. I don't think any man can stand up against these evil invaders."

Yugi looked at Rex and Weevil. "You are both still duelists, right?"

Rex and Weevil at each other and then smiled broadly at the King. "You bet we are, sire!" Rex said, pointing at himself with his thumb. "In fact, I lasted longer against Diana than Weevil here."

"Shut the hell up, Rex. Your Majesty, not only am I a good duelist, but I'm pretty good with a sword too." Weevil said, nodding.

"It's a miracle a pipsqueak like him can even hold a sword." Tristan whispered to Joseph.

"I heard that you oversized pig!" Weevil snapped.

"Hey, I'm no pig!"

"With the way you and Joseph shove food in your mouth, I disagree."

"You little ass! Come over here and say that to my face!" Joseph shouted angrily.

"I would, but your stench is far too strong! I might collapse from the awful smell!" Weevil shouted back.

Cara whimpered and started to cry. Yami rocked her slowly and tried to sooth her, but the baby continued to cry. Weevil and Tristan immediately shut their mouths. Tea took her baby and rocked her and sang softly to her.

Serena flashed her dark brown eyes angrily at them. "How dare you argue like that! You frightened the baby! Shame on both of you!"

Rex punched Weevil's shoulder. "Nice going, Weevil."

"Rex, Weevil." Yami said, turning to them.

Rex and Weevil stood straight and saluted him. "Yessir." they said in unison.

"For the moment, you are under my brother's command. Use your monsters to aide his cause and stop those invaders, is that clear?"

"Crystal, sir." Rex said.

Serena's face softened. "Rex…do you have to go so soon?"

Rex walked over to her and took her hands in his. "Don't worry about it, Serena. I'll be fine. You stay here where it's safe."

"But…I want to come with you!" Serena said.

"No way." Rex said firmly. "It's safer for you here. I don't want anything to happen to you."

"He's right, Serena. You are most useful here. The injured need you and Tea to nurse them back to health." Yugi said to her.

Serena sighed sadly and kissed Rex on the cheek. "You better come back safely, Rex Raptor. Or I swear I'll find you and kill you myself."

"Yeah…sure, sweetie…" Rex said.

"Let's go greet my army, then." Yugi said. He started to leave the castle with Weevil and Rex, but stopped and turned to look at Yami. "Brother, you are in charge while I'm in battle. Should I not return, brother, the Empire will be yours."

"Should you die, Henry, I'll ask Diana to resurrect you." Yami said, laughingly.

Joseph interjected, "Tristan and me want to fight with you, your Majesty."

Yugi looked at him. "Thank you. Follow me."

——————

Diana didn't like hiking across the rolling hills. Despite how beautiful they were to look at, they were a real pain-in-the-ass to walk over. Fin was patient and waited for her if she lagged behind. After this happened three times already, Diana stopped and said to him, "Y'know, you don't have to constantly wait for me. You can just keep going and I'll follow at my own pace."

"Perhaps I should not have abandoned my stead." Fin said, more to himself than Diana. He looked directly at her and asked, "Do you have a monster that can carry us?"

"Does it matter which one?" Diana asked.

Val, who was still with them, said, _"Your Blue Eyes Dragon is too big, Diana."_

Diana looked at her and then back at Fin. "I'll summon a small one." She called forth Koumori Dragon. The dragon was twice the size of a horse and could easily carry Fin and Diana.

"We'll get to my commander a lot faster. This is good." Fin said happily as they flew.

"You said your commander's name was Dark Shadow. What's he like?"

Fin touched his chin as if thinking. "Well…he is known by many names. Dark Shadow is his informal name…the name I know him by. He and I are good friends and we have found side-by-side for many centuries. He looks about your age, but he's a lot older."

"Exactly how can those of the Fourth Race live here?" Diana asked. "I mean no insult to my precious monsters, but I was just wondering."

"Where do you think your creatures go when you aren't dueling?" Fin asked.

Diana blinked. "Oh…here then. I haven't dueled in ten months…so they've been here all this time."

"Ten months is nothing compared to how long I and my people have lived. Your species are unruly children. That is how my elders see you anyway. So I suggest you be careful about how you act in the presence of Dark Shadow."

Diana nodded. "I will."

——————

She and Fin were being watched through a crystal ball by a pair of dark, sinister, brown eyes. The pale haired young man who owned them laughed. "She should have destroyed me when she had the chance." He pulled his lover close and kissed him. "Don't worry, my love. We will destroy them all and rule their entire world together."

"I…I guess so…but she dueled Rosenburg and—"

"I'm aware of that, my dear one. But she won't last. Not with our secret weapon."

A painful roar could be heard behind them. A creature struggled against his binding chains, growling and snapping his teeth. "Y-You bastard, Bakura…what the hell did you do to me!" cried a voice that could barely be recognized as human.

"Patience, my creation…do you remember Diana?"

"Th-The Rose Duelist…where is she! I must—"

"She is in this world. Would you like me to release you so that you can go find her?"

The creature looked at the Druids with his piercingly cold, blue eyes. "Yes. I must have her. Even after all this time…I still want her."

"Very well." With a snap of the Druid's fingers, the creature was free and ran out of that shadowy place.

"Diana! Diana! DIANA!" he bellowed as he ran.

—_Yay! My chapter's done! Sorry it's taking so long. I'm working on Blood Love and college studies are a bitch…so, I'll try to update when possible. Here are responses to reviews I've gotten so far:_

_Sara and company – glad you like the sequel…heh, yes bunches of evil cliffhangers! Happy "Be-lated" Valentine's Day to you girls (and the boys too)_

_Jaded – I think I did send you the link. o.o I might have…_

_Swift – WARNING: you are about to read a fanfic with just as many evil cliffhangers – xD_

_mariks1andonly – it's not confirmed yet if Yugi and Diana get married or not…but it's a possibility_

_DarkShadow – dude, you may have noticed that I've put you into my fanfic – you character is gonna make his debut in the next chapter…you have to e-mail your character details to me…_

_(last but never least) SG – xD yay! –clings to SG– lol…yes, Bakura and Ryou are back and bring the adorable fluff with them…Rosenburg o.O dunno yet –smiles slyly–_


	3. Lord Daelin and Kura's Knights

—_I have written another Chapter! It's got everything! The return of Bakura and Ryou, the debut of a new character named Daelin, the identity of the "invaders" plus a misshapen chimera…and you probably won't believe who it is! I had a lot to cover so here it is…_

**Chapter 3 – Lord Daelin and Kura's Knights**

"I didn't want to do this." said the White Druid, Ryou. He looked down upon the disfigured creature he had helped Bakura to create. A creature made from a human, a wolf, and a Blue Eyes White Dragon. It was a horrible, ugly chimera that looked as if it wanted so badly to die.

"It's not your fault, my love." said the smooth voice of his lover. "I'll not let you taint your soul with guilt. Keep telling yourself that it was my fault. I did everything and you did nothing."

The chimera grunted painfully and tried to move, but his chains scraped in agony against the cold, stone floor. "What do we do with him, love?"

"We'll keep him until the time is right. You've done well for me, Ryou."

Ryou sighed sadly and left the room. "I don't like this idea, Kura. Why are we doing this?"

"You want a utopia all your own, my heart. Then you shall have this utopia combined of both the human world and Thar Amrun."

"But…must we kill everyone? Yami and his friends…they have treated me so kindly and—" He was cut off by his lover's angry glare.

Bakura embraced Ryou tightly. "They can't treat you the way I can. I'm the only one who can treat you the right way. None of them understand you the way I do."

"Can we at least spare one or two people?" Ryou asked, pulling away from Bakura and gazing at him with innocent, brown eyes. Bakura sighed and walked over to his crystal ball. He waved his hand and an image of Tea's baby appeared.

"How about this baby? We shall spare her and the Rose Duelist. But everyone else will die." Bakura said to the White Druid.

Ryou averted his eyes. "All right…"

——————

Once Bakura and Ryou had released their creation, he began to wander across Thar Amrun, calling Diana's name in agony and sadness. Fairies, dwarves, unicorns, and nymphs of all varieties had no idea what to make of this raving chimera. They had seen chimeras before, but never one as strange as this creature. It had the body of a human male with bluish-black fur all over and the head of a giant wolf. His hands and feet were clawed and twice the size of an ordinary human's hands and feet. Icy cold eyes searched the landscape for a sign of the Rose Duelist. The creature's long tail resembled the tail of a Blue Eyes White Dragon.

Liam the blue pixie—a good friend of Diana—flew over to where some fellow pixies were hiding in the trees. He signed, _What's going on, friend?_

A yellow pixie signed back, _That creature is looking for the Rose Duelist. Apparently, she's here somewhere…in Thar Amrun._

Liam's eyes widened. _Really?_ he signed, _Then I must go find her and tell her about this. Keep an eye on him and—_

The pixie was interrupted by the thunderous marching of feet and clamor of armor. All the immortal creatures that were in hiding retreated in fear when they saw the glistening knights in silvery white armor with the symbol of a black, dead flower on their breast plates. Liam gasped and signed, _Fly for your lives! It's the invaders!_

The other pixies flew away as fast as possible, but Liam lingered to watch what the disfigured chimera would do. The chimera looked at the invaders and roared challengingly at them. As he did, a beam of white-blue light shot from his mouth and slammed into them. Twenty knights were killed instantly. Despite this, the army continued to march towards him, swords and spears at the ready.

The chimera shot another beam and killed twenty more knights. But there was still at least sixty or so left. Liam flew into the forests and gathered together a huge glory—or herd—of unicorns. He told them that the misshapen chimera must be on their side, because he was killing immortal-sucking invaders left and right.

The unicorns decided to help the chimera fight the invaders. They galloped out of the forest to stand behind the chimera. They used the magic of their horns to shoot burning, white lights at the knights. The chimera growled and asked them, "Where is Diana!"

When they didn't answer, the chimera shot a beam of blue-white light at them and destroyed half the glory. The unicorns whinnied in terror and retreated. The chimera went rampaging through the forests, crying for Diana. He noticed Liam flying away and decided to follow the pixie. _I've seen that pixie with Diana,_ the chimera thought, _he must know where she is._

——————

"That is where Dark Shadow is waiting for us." Fin said, pointing to the white castle as they got closer. Diana gasped at the sight of all the creatures below them. Unicorns, elves, nymphs, fairies, regular animals, hybrids of all species, dragons, monsters, everything was clustered near the castle.

"These creatures are seeking relief from the invaders. They are here, because Daelin is the champion of Thar Amrun."

"Daelin?"

Fin nodded. "Dark Shadow's true name is Daelin Gryphonia. I call him 'Daelin' on occasions, but it's like I said before. He and I know each other well enough that I can call him 'Dark Shadow.'"

"I should call him Daelin then, right?"

"Lord Daelin or Sir Gryphonia will do. Unless he gives you permission to call him 'Dark Shadow' which is rare." Fin replied.

Koumori Dragon landed and Diana dismounted with Fin. She heard a familiar voice calling her and felt an even morefamiliar prick of happiness at the back of her heart. Diana turned and saw Diamond Dust running to meet her.

"Oh Diamond Dust! You're okay!" Diana knelt and the pooka jumped into her arms, purring softly. "I was worried about you."

"I know you were. But I amokay, Diana. Yami and the Bandits of the Roses are fine. They are at the castle and escaped the fire with minor burns and bruises."

"Thank God…did you manage to see who started the fire?" Diana asked.

Diamond Dust nodded. "I caught a glimpse of Rex fighting a knight in silvery white armor. Rex managed to kill him and I saw a black, dead flower on the knight's breast plate before he fell."

"That was one of the knights who are invading Thar Amrun!" said an angelic voice. Diana gasped as she stood to look at the source of the voice. It was a unicorn.

"They call themselves Kura's Knights. But we simply call them the Immortal Thieves." the unicorn said, more to Diana than Diamond Dust.

"Kura's Knights?" Diana repeated. She gasped. "Oh my Lord! Diamond Dust, you don't think…it's Bakura?"

The pooka's eyes widened as evidence of her shock. "I hope not." She followed Fin towards the castle.

Diana bowed to the unicorn. "Thank you for the information." The unicorn bowed her head and Diana ran to catch up with Fin and Diamond Dust.

The castle was far more beautiful than Henry's. The inside was complete with a marble floor that resembled a chess board and the walls were washed with beautiful white paint. Banners of different colors hung from the ceiling in delicate patterns that Diana didn't understand. Huge pots of decorative flowers stood near the heavy doors—which were opened by ogres wearing armor—and swan-like birds sat on solid gold perches behind the throne, where a young man sat.

Buster Blader (2600/2300) knelt next to the throne in defense mode. The young man wore shiny, bronze armor that resembled Buster Blader's armor in some places. One arm had a shield attached to it with a gryphon symbol on the shield itself. Diana thought it was a bit strange that the young man wore a blue blindfold over his eyes. It was probably impolite to ask, so she kept her mouth shut. _If he were standing,_ she thought, _he'd probably be only inches taller than me. That's interesting considering I'm not very tall. He seems awfully quiet too._

Fin got down on one knee in front of the young man in bronze armor and said, "Dark Shadow, I've probably the legendary Rose Duelist to aide us."

"Yes, I can sense her power. You must be a val'istar, young lady." said the armored young man.

"Yessir." Diana knelt beside Fin. "But I'm afraid I don't know what a val'istar is, sir."

Dark Shadow, or Daelin, simply chuckled softly. "A val'istar is an archimage, which is the highest ranking of magicians. What is your name, Rose Duelist?"

"Diana Sapphire, Lord Daelin." Diana replied. Something clicked behind her and Diana turned to see that Val had landed on the marble floor and was kneeling behind them.

"Fin, thank you for braving the dangers of the human world to fetch the Rose Duelist for us. Lady Diana, I am grateful you have come to help us." Daelin said.

"You are welcome, Lord Daelin."

Fin rose to his feet and gestured for Diana and Val to do the same. Fin turned to Daelin and said, "Sire, we have discovered that these invaders are called Kura's Knights, or more commonly known as the Immortal Thieves. My personal sources have hinted to me that these knights are ordinary humans thatshow no fear when faced with something strong and powerful. Also, in recent events, it seems as though the Immortal Thieves are invading the human world as well."

Daelin stood and said, "Tanna Undome has no immortals. Why the hell would these Immortal Thieves go there?"

"_Val, what's Tanna Undome mean?"_

"_It means 'to evening' and that is the name that the Third and Fourth Race have given to your world."_

"_Oh okay."_ Diana turned to Daelin. "Sir, I hate to interrupt, but I think I might have an idea as to why they're invading Tanna Undome."

Daelin looked directly her as if he could see her. "Go on, Lady Diana."

"They are called Kura's Knights, so therefore they must be under the control of an evil Druid named Bakura. I felt sorry for him because he was at the mercy of Christian Rosenburg's command."

Daelin slammed his fist into his throne. Buster Blader jumped a little and Fin flinched. He whispered, "Don't ever say that name in front of Daelin."

Daelin looked at Diana again. "I despise Rosenburg will all my heart and soul. He is a cold, power-hungry tyrant and a complete bastard."

"I agree with you completely, sir. I defeated him in a duel and Bakura changed him to stone. Rosenburg is no longer a threat to us. But, back to what I was saying about Bakura…I think that these Immortal Thieves belong to him. Though I can't imagine why he'd want to destroy both of our worlds. His lover, Ryou, is a friend of Prince Alexander."

"Sometimes people are not always how they seem, Rose Duelist." Daelin said, sitting back on his throne. "I've known this for the several centuries that I've been alive."

Fin nodded in agreement. "I propose you and I face these invaders together and destroy them in this world as quickly as possible."

"Dammit Fin, don't be a martyr." Daelin snapped. He waved a hand at Buster Blader who stood and said to Val, _"Your duelist is the best weapon we have right now. She is mortal and immune to their immortality sucking weapons."_

"_I can hear you, y'know."_ Diana snapped.

Buster Blader simply stared at her without emotion. _"It is their spears and swords that feed on immortality. Beware, Rose Duelist. Your monsters are immortal and they will be destroyed if you are not careful. If you truly are an archimage, then now is your time to prove it."_

Diana looked at Fin and repeated what Buster Blader had said, for apparently, Fin couldn't hear monsters speaking. "Buster Blader is right, you know." the elf replied. "We can set up a defense around the castle and its grounds. I'll get Liam and his people to help."

"Wait, did you say Liam? Where is that pesky, little pixie? I haven't seen him in a long time." Diana said.

"This is no time for recollecting with old friends, Diana." Diamond Dust said, jumping onto her shoulder. "We have to go and find these—"

The pooka was interrupted by a blur of blue light zipping passed her and hovering close to Diana's face. It was, ironically, Liam. Diana smiled and held out her palm. Liam nearly collapsed onto it.

"Liam, what's wrong?" A bellowing roar answered her question from outside.

Daelin stood quickly. "What the hell was that?"

Liam signed something to Diana and her eyes widened, "Lord Daelin, there's a misshapen chimera outside and he's trying to kill everyone in sight."

Fin unsheathed a mighty sword and said, "I've been waiting for a chance like this."

Diana nodded and put Liam on her other shoulder. "Lord Daelin, will you be joining us?"

Daelin smiled. "Of course, Lady Diana. I could use a good workout." _I just hope,_ he thought, _that he's not wielding any immortal-sucking weapons…for the sake of my people…_

—_Evil cliffhanger! What kind of fanfic would it be if I didn't include cliffhangers! Well, it wouldn't be a fanfic written by me, that's for sure! Now for review responses:_

_DarkShadow – thanks for the character data…what do you think of his debut? ; )_

_Swift – heh…is the creature thing Seto? I dunno…you'll have to find out in the next Chapter…-grins wickedly-_

_nothing from SG yet? –gasps– Aww…review soon, girl D:_

_And nothing from Sara and crew –feels sad– I love you, girls! (not literally, but you get the picture)_

_Oh and if anybody else feels left out about not being in my fanfic…just e-mail me and tell me your character info (appearance, age, name, personality, etc.) and I'll fit you in somewhere, I promise! Bye until Chapter 4…_


	4. Daelin vs the Chimera

—_Hey there! Rizu has a new Chapter up and running, whee! I love everybody who has been following Diana and Yugi's adventures from the very beginning of Red Rose Angel. It's people like you readers and reviewers that motivate me to write my fanfics. I feel so happy now. Okay, what time is it? Recap time! The chimera has followed Liam to the castle where all the immortal creatures are hanging out. Diana has met a new friend named Daelin who sounds like he can basically kick major ass. And on the other side, Yugi has made plans to face the invaders of his own kingdom. That should be interesting…_

**Chapter 4 – Daelin vs. the Chimera**

Diana and her friends came out to find a wolf-like chimera wrestling with an ogre. All the creatures who were watching seemed to relax a little when they saw Daelin and Fin. Diamond Dust climbed onto Diana's shoulders and hissed in anger.

The chimera spotted them and saw Diana. He immediately picked up the ogre and hurled it over his head. Daelin and Fin ducked as the ogre sailed over them and crashed into the castle wall. He was injured, but not badly. The chimera stared at Diana, breathing hard. "Diana…" it said in a very deep, harsh tone that sounded far from a human's voice.

Diana blinked. "That thing knows my name."

The creature laughed. "You don't recognize me, do you? It's been almost a year and your face is still a memory burning in my mind. I want to break you."

Diana's heart completely stopped. She took a step back and said, "Oh God…Rosenburg?"

"In the fur and flesh, my dear." said the chimera.

Daelin gritted his teeth. "Damn you to hell, Rosenburg!"

"I think you actually grew a couple inches since I last saw you, Daelin." Rosenburg joked.

"And you, Rosenburg…you finally look like the ugly monster you've always been deep inside." Daelin said, shuffling his deck. "I'd like to personally take you down." He looked at Diana, "May I, Rose Duelist?"

"Go ahead. Far be it for me to stop you." Diana answered.

"Fine, but if I win, then Diana comes with me!"

"The hell I'm going anywhere with you, Big Bad Wolf!" Diana snapped angrily.

Buster Blader came to stand in front of Daelin. _"I'm ready to take down this tyrant like we did before."_ Daelin nodded in agreement.

Diana ran over to stand beside Fin. "Rosenburg and Daelin know each other?"

"Before the War of the Roses, Daelin and Rosenburg were bitter enemies. That's why Daelin suggested we join forces with the Lancastrian Prince."

"So Daelin is the ruler of Thar Amrun?" Diana asked.

"Unlike Tanna Undome, Thar Amrun does not particularly have a ruler. Daelin is our champion, so he makes decisions on what's best for us all. But he does not make all the decisions for us. In a way, he is like our ruler, but in other ways, he isn't." Fin replied.

Rosenburg called forth Vorse Raider (1900/1100) as his deck leader. "So Daelin, I was just wondering something…does Buster Blader make a better deck leader than Mystical Knight of Jackal?"

Daelin clenched his fists. "You damn bastard…I'll kill you with my own hands for that comment!"

"Fin…uh, explanation please?" Diana whispered to the elf.

"When Daelin and Seto previously dueled, they were both down to their last 1000 life points. Seto had his Blue Eyes White Dragon while Daelin only had his deck leader, Mystical Knight of Jackal. Blue Eyes White Dragon used its White Lightning attack, but Daelin jumped in front of his deck leader to protect him. Daelin's own magic protected most of his life points, but he only lost 300 of them. Mystical Knight was angry at Rosenburg now and so, to punish that bastard, the Knight decreased the attack of the Dragon by his full 2700. In a final act of bravery and loyalty to his duelist, he sacrificed himself so that Daelin would get a fighting chance to summon a powerful monster. He drew and summoned his favorite monster, Buster Blader. He took out the Blue Eyes and defeated Seto. However he wasn't happy, because Mystical Knight of Jackal was his father's favorite monster. And Mystical Knight was gone forever. He didn't want any of his own monsters to be permanently destroyed."

Diana watched Daelin with pity in her eyes. Val stood behind her and Diana clung to her. She knew what it meant to have a strong bond with you deck leader.

"Allow me to go first." Seto said, drawing a card.

"Go ahead, fuzzball." Daelin sneered.

Seto growled and said, "I summon Luster Dragon in attack mode and play two cards face-down." Luster Dragon (1900/1600) appeared next to Vorse Raider and roared menacingly at Daelin and Buster Blader. Neither deck leader nor duelist even flinched.

"Whoa…nice lizard, down boy." Daelin smirked. "I play Change of Heart. Now your Luster Dragon is mine to control!" Luster Dragon's eyes glowed for a brief second before he went to Daelin's side of the field.

Seto's tail swished back and forth. _It won't matter,_ he thought, _when he attacks, I'll be ready. _"Are you quite finished yet?"

"I am quite not finished yet. Settle down, puppy. Don't make me take a stick to your ass." Daelin snapped. "Now I'm going to send Luster Dragon to the graveyard so I can summon Mobius the Frost Monarch." A harsh breeze of cold air whipped across the field and Luster Dragon vanished to Seto's card graveyard. Immediately afterward, a warrior dressed in ice-like armor appeared. "Now since I sent Luster Dragon to the graveyard before summoning Mobius that means that he can instantly destroy your two face-down cards."

"What!" Seto growled. The ice-like warrior crushed both face-down cards and Daelin activated Monster Reborn to bring back Luster Dragon as his own monster. "I play these two cards face-down and end my turn."

Seto drew and smiled. "I call forth my great beast, the mighty Blue Eyes White Dragon!" The huge, white dragon with piercing, blue eyes appeared next to Vorse Raider roared to the sky. Diana winced at the sight of the Dragon. It was horrible to see an evil creature that looked identical to her own precious Dragon.

Daelin frowned hard at the Dragon. _"I despise that Dragon, Blader. That…thing…will pay for what it did to me."_ He touched his shoulder. It was just one of the places where a battle-scar from the Blue Eyes still remained.

"_We shall defeat it just like last time, Lord Daelin."_ Buster Blader said.

"_I know."_ He drew and said, "I summon Hayabusa Knight in attack mode." A large falcon-human hybrid wearing gold and lavender colored armor and a green cape appeared in front of Luster Dragon and Mobius.

Seto literally howled with laughter. "Is that thing supposed to scare me?"

"Wait just a second. I equip my knight with the Sword of Dragon's Soul, which raises his attack power by 700 points." Daelin said. Now Hayabusa was 1700 attack points strong, but still no match for the Blue Eyes. But Daelin wasn't finished yet. "I also activate the card, United We Stand, which raises Hayabusa's attack power by 800 for each monster on my side of the field. And since I have Luster Dragon, Buster Blader and Mobius on the field, his attack power goes up by 2400, giving my Hayabusa 4100 attack points."

"No! My Dragon!"

"Now he's supposed to scare you! Hayabusa, attack his Dragon directly!" The bird-like warrior slashed Blue Eyes in half, destroying the Dragon. Seto now had 2900 life points. He snorted and said, "I'm still in the game."

"No you aren't. My knight has a special ability. He can attack you twice in one turn and he still has his 4100 attack points too." Daelin smiled. "Hayabusa, attack Vorse Raider, won't you?" The falcon-headed knight slashed Vorse Raider and Seto lost the duel.

The chimera roared in anger. He started ripping up the ground as the monsters—except for Buster Blader—disappeared. "No sense throwing a temper tantrum, Rosenburg." Daelin snapped. "You look like Fin when he was a child."

Fin blushed angrily and muttered, "Thanks, Daelin." Diana laughed.

Seto rose up, suddenly quiet. His eyes flashed towards Diana. "Diana…" he whispered and ran at her. She barely had time to react as he launched himself at her, teeth bared. But before he could reach her, a flash of golden light slammed into him and the chimera bounced away from Diana several yards before he lay motionless—and unfortunately alive—on the grass.

Diana turned and saw the gryphon symbol on Daelin's shield glowing. The glow died away when Daelin let his arm hang down. She breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Lord Daelin."

"Call me Daelin from now on and you're welcome. I needed to teach that bastard a lesson." Daelin said.

Fin gestured to a couple of trolls. "You two take that chimera to the dungeon. We'll figure out what the hell to do with him later."

——————

Back in Tanna Undome, Yugi and his knights were ready to face the invaders. Behind Yugi's knights were Needle Burrower (1700/1700) and Tyrant Dragon (2900/2500). Needle Burrower belonged to Weevil and Tyrant Dragon was Rex's monster. Yugi ordered his men to be ready. The invaders seemed to show no sign that they saw or noticed the King's army. Yugi was appalled and slightly fearful.

He turned to his Dark Magician and said, _"They show no fear. Are these…creatures even human?"_

"_I sense no human emotions inside them at all. Yet when Rex killed one of them, the knight bled like an ordinary human."_ the Dark Magician replied.

"_Perhaps they are under some of kind of spell. No matter…they are a threat to my people and my kingdom. We must all protect our home."_ Yugi replied. He gave the order to charge and the knights ran into battle. The invaders fought savagely and slaughtered as many knights as they could come in contact with. Tyrant Dragon shot fiery columns of light at the ranks of invaders. Needle Burrower ripped through them like paper.

"_Sire!"_ called Dark Magician's voice in Yugi's head. The King searched the battlefield for his comrade and his eyes widened when he saw an invader had cornered Dark Magician. The spellcaster had a sickly green light around him and he fell to his knees in pain and agony. The green light seemed to be going from his body to the invader's sword.

Before Yugi could get to him, another invader cornered him and slashed his right eye with his spear. Yugi screamed in agony, but he still had his left eye. He sliced the invader's head off and ran to slash the invader attacking his Dark Magician in half.

"_My lord, are you all right?"_ Dark Magician said, rising to his feet.

"_I was going to ask you the same question."_

"_I am fine now, my lord."_

"_So am I."_ Yugi turned to the invaders. They continued to come as if they weren't afraid of dying. _Oh Diana,_ he thought, _please hurry. We could use all the help we can get now._

—_Heh…well that Chapter's over. Anyone for pizza? My treat…no, Tyrant Dragon, not you – xD Okay, well, I guess everybody pretty much guessed that the chimera was Rosenburg. He did keep shouting Diana's name, which was a pretty damn big clue. I think I've confused some people about Bakura's character. Maybe the next Chapter will clear some things up for you. – Oh and by the way, the duel between Daelin and Rosenburg was completely thought up by my buddy DarkShadow…I just edited it a little – or a lot, however Dark looks at it._

_SG – xD –babble babble– lol…as for Rosenburg's fate, well, I haven't decided yet…heh. I don't know right yet. Bakura's not exactly power mad. He's sort of insane, but he wants the world to be a utopia for Ryou._

_Swift – xP yes! another evil cliffhanger! I am addicted to them…ha!_

_DarkShadow – hey bud, great duel…I just edited the parts where you had Buster Blader attack straight up. That couldn't happen only because the deck leader only helps the duelist summon monsters and acts as the embodiment of the duelist's life points. In the deck leader system, the deck leader doesn't attack or anything, but they do have unique, special abilities. But I still found your character really interesting. He's definitely gonna make a good fighter in the war against the Immortal Thieves._

_Jaded – o.o oops…I didn't see your character information until just now. Ack! I am so sorry! –feels bad now– Don't worry! I'll reserve your character for one of those, "save the main character at the minute" kind of chapters. : ) Trilogy? Hmmm…I'll throw that idea around in my head for a while and see. I'm not sure yet._

_mariks1andonly – now when has Henry, Alex, or Diana ever died? –grins– Everybody's asking if Henry and Diana are going to get married. I'll see…right now they are both nineteen and Henry's going to be twenty soon, so I'm not sure yet._

_Sara and company – say "Sara and company" it doesn't sound so ghetto – lol…curse them for having fun in NY without you…xP oh well, my fanfic is keeping you occupied, that's a plus! Good thing you can't wait for more cliffhangers, because I have plenty…teehee._


	5. Jhada's Debt and Nuri's Assistance

—_It's another Chapter! Yay! I've got another character to introduce in this chapter and maybe a new villain in Chapter 6…but wait, that's getting ahead of the story! Okay, well Rosenburg's imprisoned in Daelin's castle. Yugi and his army are fighting against the Immortal Thieves that have invaded the British Empire. Yugi's been wounded too and Daelin has proven to be a kick ass duelist. Chapter 5 is where Yugi and those in our world find out about Bakura's plan for both worlds…_

**Chapter 5 – Jhada's Debt and Nuri's Assistance**

Ryou stroked his white pooka's fur and sighed sadly. "Nuri, there must be something we can do. I hate to loose my friends, but I hate to have Bakura distrust me even more."

The pooka stared at his White Druid. "I too am worried, sir. For Diamond Dust, anyways. And what of that chimera Bakura let loose on Thar Amrun?"

"Rosenburg is causing whatever trouble he wants. That was Bakura's plan when he took Rosenburg to Thar Amrun with us." Ryou replied. "Nuri, I am not very strong. Bakura and I are two halves of one whole person. The good side and the bad side. But the bad side seems to be stronger than the good side."

"You think Bakura is evil?" Nuri asked.

"I know he has a heart, Nuri. He's not an evil, pitiless villain. Rosenburg is the cold-blooded one. But then he loves the Rose Duelist."

"Bah!" snorted the white pooka. "Obsession and love are two different things, especially when it comes to Rosenburg." He paused and looked at Ryou. "Silverfox will get involved. I know she will."

Ryou sighed and nodded. "I thought she would. No doubt she'll venture into Tanna Undome and protect the King. Actually, Nuri, I asked her to do that as a favor to me."

"Jhada owes you after—"

"Yes…after I saved her life." Ryou stroked Nuri's soft fur as he thought back to that day.

"_Ryou, you need to focus!" snapped the beautiful maiden with silvery hair with black and crimson highlights. She hauled Ryou his feet and helped dust his robes off. "You need to work on your fighting skills, hon." she said softly._

"_I don't want to be a warrior, Jhada." Ryou said quietly. "I'm a Druid and someday I'll be a White Druid."_

_Jhada narrowed her silver-amber eyes at him. "And who the hell said Druids weren't allowed to learn hand-to-hand combat? I don't always rely on magic to help me. Be damned if I ever need it too."_

_Ryou sighed. "But you're a half elf, Jhada. Magic and hand-to-hand combat are your specialties. All I want to do is learn magic."_

_The archery maiden sighed. "Ryou, as your friend, I must insist that you at least try to learn how to fight with a dagger. Or at least how to use a bow and arrow. Your mentor, Simon, he uses a bow and arrow on occasions. But the old fool has grown soft and too reliant on his magic. My friend, I don't want that to be you."_

"Deep in thought?" Nuri asked.

"I was just recollecting the time when I saved Jhada's life. You remember it, don't you?"

The white pooka stared at his companion. "Sadly, I do not remember every detail. Would you care to enlighten me, Ryou?"

"All right…"

_The two-headed serpent had been on a rampage for several days. It had managed to find its way from Thar Amrun to Tanna Undome. Jhada had to practically drag Ryou to where the battle was. This was long before Ryou met Bakura and so he was very cowardly. His only friends were Nuri and Jhada. But Jhada was always off fighting battles and Ryou was left alone with his pooka._

_Jhada shot two arrows at the serpent. One arrow found its way into the serpent's neck and the other found the serpent's forehead. The serpent roared in anger and shot a column of flames at the warrior maiden and the Druid. Ryou used a spell to block the flames._

"_Your magic is useful. Try using the dagger I gave you and aim for his eye. Doesn't matter which head. At least then we'll have only three eyes to deal with." Jhada said and unsheathed her katanas. She launched herself at the serpent to distract both heads from Ryou._

_Ryou unsheathed his dagger and was trembling all over. He threw his dagger, but the blade caught the sunlight and one serpent head saw the dagger and swallowed it. Jhada saw what had happened and was suddenly grabbed by the other serpent's mouth. She held onto one big serpent tooth with one hand and held a dagger in the other hand. She put the dagger's tip at the roof of the serpent's mouth and said, "You eat me and we both die, you giant snake!"_

"Oh yes." said Nuri. "I remember now. You used your magic to create the illusion of a huge army. The serpent was so worried about being outnumbered that it didn't notice when Jhada jumped from its mouth and then slashed one head off."

"That's true. She's been training ever since for the day when I might need her to repay the debt she owes." Ryou replied.

"So you sent her to help King Henry?"

"Correct. I imagine she might run into Diana at least once, but I gave Jhada instructions to help Henry." Ryou said, curling up on his bed. "Bakura's coming. Go find Diamond Dust. Tell them everything."

Nuri jumped onto the window sill as footsteps were heard coming down the hallway. "What will you do?"

"Stay here and be seductive…" Ryou murmured with a slight red tint to his cheeks. Nuri rolled his eyes and left before Bakura could enter the room.

——————

"Rosenburg's a chimera and an evil Druid named Bakura is behind the Immortal Thieves, huh?" Daelin said, pacing the throne room.

"That's right." said Fin, sitting in an ivory white chair with a blue cushion. "What we don't know is why Bakura is doing this."

Daelin stopped pacing and turned to Diana. "You know more about this Bakura fellow than we do, Diana. What exactly is he up to?"

Diana shrugged. "I honestly have no clue. I mean, I know his lover is supposed to be our friend. His lover is a White Druid named Ryou and—"

"Ryou? The loyal friend of Silverfox?" Fin asked in disbelief.

"Silverfox?"

"Jhada Silverfox is a half elf. Her mother was human and her father was the greatest Elvin warrior of Thar Amrun. He trained my father and Fin is a distant relative of Lord Silverfox. Jhada was never welcomed here at first, but when she and Ryou destroyed one of Thar Amrun's most vicious criminals, we allowed her to come and live here."

"She's a powerful warrior herself and an expert with the bow and arrow. She is also a duelist and—like you, Diana—Jhada also has a magician for a deck leader." Fin added.

"Which magician?"

"The Black Magician of Chaos." Daelin answered.

"Wow…I'd like to meet this Jhada."

Daelin shrugged. "I don't know where she is. No one does. She wanders around Thar Amrun, training and such. She says she wants to repay a debt she has to Ryou."

Buster Blader entered the room and said, "Lord Daelin, Rosenburg has awakened, but he will not speak to anyone. What shall we do with him?"

Daelin tapped at his blindfold and Diana sat ridged in her seat. She was ridged not just because Rosenburg was awake and probably wanting her, but more because she wanted to see what the reason for Daelin's blindfold was. Daelin seemed to sense this, because he looked directly at her and said, "Silence your curiosity, Rose Duelist. I'm not taking my blindfold off."

Diana slumped in her seat and blushed hotly. "I'm sorry."

"Buster Blader, my friend, I think I have an idea." Daelin said to his deck leader. He turned back to Diana and said, "Go with Buster Blader and confront Rosenburg. Maybe that stubborn bastard will speak with you."

Diana stood and followed Buster Blader to the dungeon.

——————

"Don't touch it, dammit." Yugi snarled as Serena tried to check the wound on his eye. The battle was over and the invaders had been defeated. Yugi lost a great many knights, but he won all the same. Rex and Weevil had only minor injures and helped tend to the wounded. Joseph was hurt badly and Tristan had a broken arm. Needle Burrower, Tyrant Dragon and Dark Magician stood guard outside the castle in case more invaders came.

"Quit being an ass about it." Serena said, frowning. "Maybe you'd behave better if I were Diana."

Yugi calmed down at the mention of his love's name. "I'm sorry, Serena. I'm very worried about her. I only hope she's all right."

"She's strong, my lord. She will be fine." Serena said. Simon strolled over and healed the slash wound as best he could.

Yami joined them with Cara in his arms. He looked down at his brother's wound. "Simon, can you fully repair it?"

Simon finished his healing and sighed heavily. "I wish I could, my lord. I have stopped the bleeding and the pain and completely reformed all the tissues of the skin. Unfortunately, the scar shall always remain and the eye will never see again."

Yugi touched his now useless eye gingerly. "Great…" I'm just glad Diana can't see this, he thought.

Suddenly, Diamond Dust pounced into the room with a white pooka beside her. Diamond Dust rubbed against the King's leg before stepping back to say, "My lord, I have lots of news for you."

"What is it, Diamond Dust? And who is your friend?"

The white pooka bowed his head. "I am Nuriel, Ryou's pooka companion. Nuri, for short, your Majesty. I bring news about these invaders and the plot behind all of this, sire."

"Please go on! What are these invaders and why do they attack us?"

Nuri came to sit next to Diamond Dust. "Sire, the love of Ryou's life, Bakura, created an almost endless army of emotionless knights that know nothing, but kill or be killed. They are called Kura's Knights or the Immortal Thieves. Their weapons, as I'm sure you have noticed, suck the immortality out of being such as your monsters. These knights are fearless warriors who do not stop until they have killed everything in their path. I have been helping Ryou to carry the weight of guilt for aiding Bakura in the creation of these horrid beasts."

Yami frowned hard. "Bakura betrayed us. And after I helped to reunite him with his love."

"Apparently, he took advantage of you, my lord." Diamond Dust chimed in. "From what Nuri has told me, Bakura wants to destroy everything in the world so that he can create a utopia all for Ryou."

"His heart is dedicated to Ryou, but his intentions are as black as night." Serena said.

"Correction, miss." Nuri replied. "I came here, because—" The pooka cringed and swayed from side-to-side. He began muttering to himself and moaning occasionally.

"What is wrong with him?" Serena asked.

Diamond Dust snorted. "This always happens when the human bonded to a pooka is 'doing it' as people from Diana's era would say."

"What is 'it' then?"

"Sex, girl!" Nuri snapped grouchily. "Where was I, love?" the white pooka looked at Diamond Dust.

"The reason you came here, dearest." Diamond Dust replied.

Nuri nodded, still in a daze. "Right, okay. I came here, because Ryou wanted me to tell all of you this."

"You forgot about the chimera, stupid! Tell them about the chimera." Diamond Dust hissed at him.

"Settle, lovely. I was getting to that." Nuri looked up at the humans. "Ryou also bears the guilt of knowing about the creation of a chimera. This chimera was created from a human, a wolf and a Blue Eyes White Dragon."

Yugi was on edge immediately. "Please tell me the human isn't Diana."

"Lord in Heaven no!" Diamond Dust growled. "But you aren't going to like who the human was. Bakura released him from stone only to use him to create his ultimate warrior."

"Rosenburg!" Yugi exclaimed.

"Exactly, my lord. Rosenburg is now a chimera and is imprisoned in Lord Daelin Gryphonia's castle. Don't worry; Diana is safe from Rosenburg's hormones." Nuri said.

Yugi sighed heavily. He stood and looked at Yami. "Brother, you are in charge until I return." He picked up Diamond Dust and started for the doors.

"Henry, where are you going?" Yami asked.

"I must find Diana. I have to know she is all right. I have to help her." Yugi said. "Both of our worlds depend on the destruction of the Immortal Thieves. I want to help her accomplish this task." Yugi said and left with Diamond Dust in his arms.

Yami looked down at Nuri. "When you see Ryou again, will you give him a message from me?"

The white pooka bowed his head. "Of course, my lord."

"Tell him that no matter what happens, I will always remain his good friend, now and forever." Yami told him.

Nuri nodded. "I'll make sure Ryou gets your message, sire." The white pooka bounded after the King and Diamond Dust.

——————

Both pooka led Yugi to the tree where Diana went through hours ago. The sun was setting in both worlds and everyone would get a brief night of peace. Yugi stared at the tree, which looked like all the other trees in the forest. Other than the fact that it was untouched by the fire that had spread across the entire woodland area. The King reached out and ran a hand across the tree's bark.

"It feels like an ordinary tree…and looks like one too. Are you two certain that this is the right tree?"

"The fire didn't hurt it, so yeah I suppose so." said a feminine voice. Diamond Dust jumped onto the King's shoulder, but Nuri was hopping with delight as a young lady stepped forward into Yugi's line of sight. She wore dark colored trousers and a crimson tunic. Her long, silvery hair went down to her ankles and shone with red and black highlights. Her silvery amber eyes seemed to stare straight through the King and into his soul.

"Who…are you?" Yugi asked.

"My name is Jhada Silverfox. I'm here to guide you and protect you, your Majesty, King Henry." the lady said.

Nuri mewed softly. "Good to see you again, Jhada."

The woman smiled at the pooka. "Hello Nuri. How's Ryou?"

"You know Ryou?" Yugi asked with a surprised expression on his face.

"Aye. Ryou and I have been friends for a long time. He asked me to come and protect you, King. I owe his a debt and this is how I can finally repay it." Jhada said.

"Do you know where Diana is?" Yugi asked.

Jhada shrugged. "I don't know anyone named Diana. But you lead and I'll follow."

"Thank you." Yugi said and touched Diamond Dust's fur. The gray pooka jumped down from his shoulder and went right through the tree.

Nuri said to Yugi, "Follow us. Diamond Dust knows where the Rose Duelist is."

Dark Magician flew down to land next to Yugi. The King looked at his faithful monster and smiled. _"At least you're coming too."_

"_Of course, my lord. I am your humble servant forever."_ Dark Magician said.

"You first, King." Jhada shoved Yugi towards the tree. Yugi glared at her and stepped through into Thar Amrun, followed swiftly by Dark Magician and then Jhada.

_I'm coming my Angel,_ Yugi thought. _I will be at your side forever._

—_Wasn't that interesting? Well, now Yugi and company know mostly what you readers know. Diana is going to see Rosenburg…that should an interesting conversation. Of course…geez, I absolutely love how Jhada Silverfox turned out. I dunno why…I love her hair. Silver with crimson and black highlights…that sounds cool. xD – review responses…_

_SG – I honestly do not know what I'm gonna do with Rosenburg at this point. His feelings for Diana kind switch on and off from obsession to love. You saw how in Red Rose Angel, he refused to kill her when Richard ordered him to. So…I dunno yet – x)_

_Jaded – well…did you like how Jhada turned out? I made her a half elf…just so the whole story could stay within the grounds that Diana is the first human to set foot in Thar Amrun. Daelin's technically not human and Bakura and Ryou arrived in Thar Amrun just a few minutes after Diana…so yeah, I like Jhada, she's cool. xD_

_Swift – yup…Yugi lost that eye. It didn't pop out of his head or anything…that's just nasty. I think Diana might be able to fully heal it…dunno yet. Daelin is a powerful duelist, but that's how DarkShadow thought him up._

_mariks1andonly – O.O Chibi Atem! –snuggles chibi Atem– lol…I'll e-mail you updates – starting…now! Heh…_

_Sara and company-who-are-in-NY-without-Sara – lol…that was long – yeah you can be a minor character in Chapter 6…Lauren…let's see – what can we do with her? Hmmm…she can be Weevil's daughter…lmao! I'm just kidding…not sure yet. Don't abuse the chimera – o.O lol…_

_DarkShadow – like I said in my e-mail, don't worry about the card/deck list…I'll find some good cards for Daelin to use. Maybe give him some cool powers. You might have to explain the reason for his blindfold…or is it just a fashion statement for Daelin? Like Diana, I was just curious._


	6. Duel Yourself, Diana!

—_I return! Yay! And this Chapter is a real "holy shit!" I swear at least at some point, somebody out there will go: "Holy shit!" Also…Fin was left out of this Chapter simply because…he was takin' a crap when I wrote this. –laughs– Seriously, I'll give the real reason for leaving him out in the next Chapter. Anyways, Diana confronts Rosenburg, Yugi is reunited with his woman, and there's a real smashing duel too…Diana faces her toughest opponent…_

**Chapter 6 – Duel Yourself, Diana!**

Daelin's dungeon was the sort of dungeon that Diana had seen in medieval movies back in her time. Cold stone floors and walls with not much light and metal doors opening into what looked like caves. Buster Blader stopped and motioned down the darkened corridor of dungeon cells.

"_It's the sixth one down. It's hard to not find it considering Rosenburg is the only chimera in our dungeon."_ Buster Blader said to her.

"_Thank you, Blader."_ Diana said and continued down the corridor on her own. As she walked passed the fourth cell she noticed someone inside. Her eyes had focused on a white patch in the darkness. She jumped when a pair of silver eyes stared straight at her.

"What you staring at?" snapped a harsh feminine voice.

"N-Nothing."

"You're human, aren't you?"

Diana nodded. "I'm Diana Sapphire the Rose Duelist."

"You're an archimage…" said the voice. "My name is Bell Lutz. That's all you need to know."

_Grouch,_ Diana thought.

"I heard that human! I can read your mind." the person snapped. Diana jumped when a pale girl appeared at the cell door.

Diana jumped back. "Uh…sorry, I—"

"Oh shut up." Bell growled and went back to where she'd been sitting.

Diana hurried to the cell where Rosenburg was kept. He was lying down against the cell door with his back to Diana. She sighed and knew that she had to be brave about this. "Wake up, doggie." she snapped.

Rosenburg sat up and looked at her. He immediately began rattling the door and clawing at the bars trying to escape. "Diana! Diana, let me out!"

"Like hell I will." Diana snapped harshly. Rosenburg stopped and was quiet. She continued, "I want to know what's going on, Rosenburg. Why is Bakura trying to take over both this world and our world?"

"Why the hell would you think I'd know anything about it?"

"Because you're one of Bakura's pawns, Rosenburg. He turned the tables on you because of what you did to him."

Rosenburg snorted. "Is that what you think? You thought that once Bakura was free of my control and reunited with his love that he would become a good subject. Face it Diana…Bakura's just as big a snake as I am. He had the power to destroy me, but did he? No…he was planning this from the beginning. He knew you would be soft enough to want to reunite him and Ryou together. He knew you would challenge me to a duel and I would loose. My prison of stone may not have been paradise, but at least I felt safe from Bakura's wrath."

"And he freed you, didn't he?"

The chimera turned around and sat on the ground. "Yes. He released me for my stone prison and told me that if I didn't want to see the Rose Duelist dead, then I had to hand over one of my Blue Eyes White Dragon cards. When I did, he had a wolf brought out and then merged me, the wolf and the Blue Eyes together. It fell like every fiber of my being was being ripped to shreds. I just wanted to die!"

Diana couldn't help, but feel a pinch of sympathy towards what Rosenburg experienced. But the pinch wasn't very big. "Did you escape or did Bakura let you go?"

"Bakura let me go so that I could find you." Rosenburg stood again and reached through the metal bars towards her. Diana backed away. "Diana, I must have you. I must break you."

"Dammit Rosenburg. No one's gonna break me."

"I want to be the first to touch you."

Diana stuck her tongue out at him. "Yugi and I are already in love and have made love too."

When Rosenburg heard that, he roared and slammed against the cell door. Snarling and baring his teeth, the chimera tried to break free and grab her. Diana ran out of the dungeon and into Daelin's throne room. Val spotted Diana and went to greet to her duelist. Diana clung worriedly to her favorite card.

Daelin stood and looked at them. "Diana, what happened?"

"Rosenburg was definitely created by Bakura." Diana told them about her short conversation with the chimera. "And then," she finished, "he got really angry when I said I was in love with King Henry."

"Not surprised." Daelin said. "He's obsessed with you after all. I'm sure you noticed the other prisoner down there, right?"

"That Bell Lutz? Yeah. What's she in there for?"

"Just a brief punishment. She tried to steal Mystical Knight of Jackal from me. I know Fin told you about that. I've never liked a Blue Eyes White Dragon since." Daelin said, fiddling with his blindfold.

"I hate to be a pest, but…why do you wear that blindfold? You don't have to answer, I was just curious." Diana said.

"Well, if you think I'm blind, then you're wrong. I can see perfectly. With my blindfold, my other senses have heightened and I can sense any form of magic far better. It's a bit of a long story, but I'll shorten as best I can for you. When I was younger, I lost my sister because I depended too much on my eyesight."

"I'm sorry. How did she die?"

Daelin said nothing at first, but then he answered, "I'd rather not recall it."

"I understand what that's like. I lost my parents too. I lost their love anyway."

"Is that why you stayed?" Daelin asked. "So you would never see them again?"

"I was closer to my father than my mother. But my father went to prison and…well, my life became like the Trap Hole magic card. When I came to Henry's time period, I found everything I'd been missing in my life."

Daelin nodded. "I see."

"Can you? See, I mean. Without the blindfold…" Diana asked, boldly.

He simply looked in her direction. "You won't shut up until I take my blindfold off."

Diana smiled. "Nope."

"This is why I don't have or want a girlfriend." Daelin muttered. He stood and took his blindfold off. Diana nearly fainted at the sight of his eyes. They were the purest color of ocean blue she had ever seen. Daelin hastily put his blindfold back on. "Happy now?"

"Yeah okay." Diana said.

The doors suddenly burst open. A pretty young lady with long silvery hair and black and red highlights strolled in as if it were her castle and said, "Honey, I'm home!" (Rizu: That part cracks me up every time I read over it.)

Daelin fell in his throne. "Jhada Silverfox, what the hell do you want?"

"Ouch Lord Daelin. That was cruel." said the lady.

Diamond Dust ran over to Diana. "Diana!"

"Diamond Dust!" Diana scooped the pooka into her arms.

Daelin straightened. "King Henry…"

Yugi walked into the throne room. "Are you the ruler of this world?"

"Henry…" Diana said, putting Diamond Dust down. Yugi spotted her and ran to embrace her. He picked her up and kissed her.

Jhada folded her arms across her chest. "That must be the Rose Duelist."

"Yes. Lady Diana Sapphire the Rose Duelist. Magician's Valkyria is her deck leader." Daelin replied. "Are you're repaying your debt to Ryou?"

Jhada nodded. "He asked me to do this. I am supposed to be the King's bodyguard."

Yugi put Diana on her feet and said, "Are you all right, Angel?"

"I am now. What are you doing here, Henry?"

"We defeated the Immortal Thieves that came into our world. I left Alex in charge while I came to help you." Yugi replied.

"How did you know they were called the Immortal Thieves?" Diana asked.

"Ryou's pooka, Nuri, came and told us. Bakura wants to create a utopia for Ryou. He also made Rosenburg into a—"

"Chimera, I know. Daelin won a duel against him. Rosenburg's in the dungeon right now." She explained everything Seto had told her.

"So Bakura manipulated everybody just so he could get this far…" Yugi said. He looked at Daelin. "You must be Daelin?"

"Yes. Daelin Gryphonia, the champion of this world." He stood and walked over to them. "You are lucky, sire. The Rose Duelist is very beautiful and very powerful."

"Powerful, eh?" said Jhada. "Has she demonstrated this power?"

Everyone looked over at her. Daelin said, "Well, no. Not yet, but—"

"Demonstrate it now, Rose Duelist. I want to see what sort of power you have."

Diana was shocked. Didn't this girl believe she had great power? "I brought Henry back to life. So I don't have to prove anything."

"You brought a person back to life!" Jhada blinked in surprise at her. "That _is_ an accomplishment. But I've heard plenty of people claim their pretty strong. I always ask them to prove it. So let's go, Rose Duelist. I've heard you're supposed to be a fantastic duelist as well. Want to prove both to me?"

Diana frowned. "Fine then. I will."

Jhada smiled. "You'll regret that." She clapped her hands together and started to chant something. Suddenly a green ball of light appeared in front of her. It swirled and morphed into an exact image of Diana. Only this Diana had a darker aura and a more sinister look to her facial features.

Jhada took a couple steps back. "Duel yourself, Diana!"

"What! That's not me!" Diana snapped.

"Are you afraid?" said Evil Diana.

Diana frowned hard. Yugi touched his love's shoulder. "She doesn't have to duel that creature." he said to Jhada

"I say she does. If she truly is an archimage—which is the only person can resurrect the dead—then she needs to get her ass over her and prove it." Jhada retorted. "If Diana can defeat and strip her evil clone of its power, then she'll have proven herself."

Daelin turned to Diana. "Are you accepting her challenge?"

"Yes I will accept it." Diana snapped.

"Good." said Evil Diana. "I was being to think you'd chicken out."

Val stood next to her duelist and Evil Diana summoned her own deck leader. It was Magician's Valkyria only her outfit was black instead turquoise. Diana frowned. "I summon Kuriboh in defense mode and play one card face-down."

Evil Diana drew and said, "I summon Beaver Warrior and equip him with Horn of the Unicorn which increases his attack and defense by 700." Beaver Warrior appeared beside Evil Val with an attack of 1900. "Beaver Warrior, attack her Kuriboh!" The little rodent in armor launched itself at Kuriboh.

"Not so fast, I activate my face-down card, Mirror Force. Your attack is blocked and sent back at you." Beaver Warrior's sword hit a rainbow wall and the sword bounced off and hit Beaver Warrior in the face. It was destroyed and Evil Diana lost 1900 life points. She didn't seem too beaten up about it, though.

"I activate the magic card, D. D. Designator! Now if I correctly guess one card in your hand, that card gets sent to the Graveyard." Evil Diana smiled. "And I know your deck and mind just as well as you do. I think you're holding Monster Reborn!"

Diana's eyes widened. Her evil clone was right. "Good guess." Diana muttered, putting Monster Reborn in the Graveyard.

"Of course." said Evil Diana.

"How is that possible?" Yugi wondered out loud.

"The creature Jhada created is simply the physical form of the darkness in Diana's heart." Daelin replied. "Everyone has darkness in their hearts. Even the purest souls in the world have a little bit of evil deep inside. That is what Diana's opponent represents."

"So Diana really is dueling herself?"

Daelin nodded. "If Diana wins, then she'll prove that she is the most powerful mage in the history of both our worlds."

Evil Diana smiled wickedly. "Now I summon a monster face-down in defense mode and that's all for me."

"_Val, what do I do? She knows all my cards and strategies! She's a part of me."_ Diana said.

"_Then you must think outside of—"_

"_Val?"_

No answer.

"_Valkyria?"_ Diana was shocked when Val didn't respond. The magician turned and shook her head with an upset look on her face.

Evil Diana laughed. "I blocked your connection with your deck leader. Try dueling on your own instead of relying on her to do all the thinking for you!"

"I don't rely on Val to think for me! I think for myself, dammit!" Diana snapped. "I play Harpy Lady Number 3 in attack mode." A woman with green wings attached to her arms and spiky blue hair appeared on the field in front of Val. Her clawed feet and hands glistened and she screeched like a hawk.

"And now I activate The Forceful Sentury magic card. You have to show me your hand and I choose a card to go back to your deck. Then you have to shuffle your deck!" Diana said.

Evil Diana shrugged. "Fine." The girls approached each other and Evil Diana showed the real Diana her hand. It was almost identical to Diana's current hand, except Monster Reborn was included. "Now _you_ get rid of Monster Reborn."

"I figured you'd do that." Evil Diana said. She discarded Monster Reborn and shuffled her deck. The girls returned to their spots and Evil Diana asked, "Happy now?"

_Not until I defeat you,_ Diana thought.

Evil Diana smiled. It was her turn now. "I activate the magic card Graceful Charity." Evil Diana drew three cards and discarded two. "I play Watapon in defense mode." A little cream puff looking monster appeared next to the face-down monster. "You know Watapon's special ability, right, Diana? Because I used a magic card to draw it that means I can automatically summon it to the field."

"Whatever." Diana grouched. "Harpy Lady, destroy her face-down monster!"

Harpy Lady swooped in and the monster flipped up just as Harpy Lady attacked and destroyed it. The monster had been Hane-Hane. Diana cringed at her mistake. Now her evil self could select a monster and return that monster to her hand.

"Put your stupid Kuriboh back in your hand." Evil Diana said.

Kuriboh immediately disappeared from the field and went back to Diana's hand. Evil Diana smiled. "Now I activate Card Destruction! We both have to throw out our current hands and draw brand new ones."

Diana did so and smiled. Not only had she drawn her precious Dragon, but she also drew Dark Magician Girl and Blue Eyes Guardian Ritual. She could summon her Blue Eyes Guardian Mage and destroy her evil self without a sweat. _Wait,_ she thought, _my evil clone knows everything about me. She might retaliate. I have to summon my monster as soon as I can._

Her dark side had to finish her turn first. Evil Diana smiled. "I summon the Blue Eyes White Dragon!" A Blue Eyes with a dark aura around its body appeared and roared menacingly.

Daelin's eyes widened. "Diana has a Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

"Yes she does." Yugi said, keeping his eyes focused on the duel. _I know Diana will defeat her evil side,_ he thought. _I believe in her power._

"Oh no." Diana groaned.

"Oh yes! Blue Eyes, attack her Harpy Lady!" Evil Diana said. Evil Blue Eyes shot a column of blue-white light at Harpy Lady. Diana's life points went down to 2300, just 200 points above her evil clone's count.

Diana gulped. "You drew Dark Magician Girl and Blue Eyes Guardian Ritual, didn't you?"

Evil Diana smirked. "Wow, you actually knew that. I'm impressed. Now hurry up and take your turn."

_Oh great,_ Diana thought. _I wish I could communicate with Val. She could at least give me some words of encouragement. Well, whatever…I have to call forth my ultimate mage before she does._ "I play my own Dragon in attack mode to destroy Watapon." Diana's Blue Eyes appeared and destroyed the little cream puff easily. "Too bad it was in defense mode. I'll place a card face-down and end my turn."

Evil Diana laughed. "You're planning to summon Blue Eyes Guardian Mage! Well, it won't work." She laughed again. "I summon Dark Magician Girl and activate the card, Blue Eyes Guardian Ritual!"

Diana watched in terror as Dark Magician Girl and Blue Eyes White Dragon fused together to form the evil part of Blue Eyes Guardian Mage. Evil Diana smiled. "I happen to have Luster Dragon and Solar Flare Dragon in my Graveyard. That gives my mage 600 extra attack points, making her 5100 points strong."

Diana was in a panic and terror as Blue Eyes Guardian Mage destroyed her Blue Eyes White Dragon. Now Guardian Mage's attack power rose to 5700 and Diana's life points were at a mere 200. One more attack was all it would take.

She fell to her knees. Jhada shook her head as she perched on Daelin's throne. "I thought you were strong, Rose Duelist. I guess it was all a big joke. You have no true power. You never did."

"Exactly." Evil Diana said. "It's sad. You had great power once, but I guess you wasted it all by bringing the guy you love back to life. Face it, weakling. You're nothing."

_She's right,_ Diana thought. _They're both right. I haven't been in tune with my power since that day. It's like I've completely forgotten everything about it. Maybe I did use up all my power. Maybe I really don't deserve to be the Rose Duelist or even an archimage._

"Diana, get up now!" shouted Yugi. "You have power, I know you do. Now get up and face yourself! I know you can. I know you have the power. Now use it!"

"I don't…I can't…" Diana said softly, hanging her head. "I'm weak…"

"Should I take that as a forfeit?" Jhada asked.

_I may as well,_ thought Diana. She looked up and was about to forfeit the duel when Val knelt in front of her duelist. Her eyes shone with tears and Diana wished she could hear what Val had to say. "I'm sorry, Val. I failed…sorry…"

"D-Don't…" Val spoke! She didn't speak through the mind!

Diana's eyes widened. "Val!"

"D-Don't give up, D-Diana. We can h-help." Val stammered.

Daelin's jaw dropped in shock. "Impossible. Those of the Fourth Race can only speak mind-to-mind with their duelists. How is it possible that Valkyria can speak aloud?"

"Val…what do I do?"

"Trust y-your deck, Diana. Th-there is a card that c-can strengthen your G-Guardian Mage." Val replied. "F-Find it."

—_Whoa…now this is getting good. About time Diana started fighting! I wonder what card she has that can help her defeat her own Guardian Mage – which happens to be the most powerful card in forever! O.o I mean, dude, it has 5700 attack points. How's Diana gonna defeat that! Guess you'll find out…now time for Review Responses…_

_Jaded – heh…I just might use her for other fanfics. Maybe or maybe not Yu-Gi-Oh fanfics…she sounds like a character that is in pretty much any fanfic for any anime. Especially those kick-ass, sword swinging type anime like Ruroni Kenshin or Inuyasha or something._

_Swift – not much of a chat between Diana and Rosenburg…just wait until Yugi has his chance to "chat" with him – oh fun…_

_mariks1andonly – what? That's it? O.O damn you…lol…I'm just kidding! Heh…glad you liked it…_

_SG – still not sure about Seto's fate…xD Nuri's sort of like the embodiment of Ryou's silly side…he's also Diamond Dust's love, which kinda weird considering Diana and Ryou are just acquaintances…–smacks you– you aren't boring…stop saying that xP_

_DarkShadow – you noticed I had Daelin take his blindfold off for a brief second…I had to quell Diana's curiosity. It also helped to explain the reason of the blindfold. I gave him green eyes too, I hope that's okay. He's a great character…if I write a sequel to Sapphire Rose, damn I wanna put him in it…also I decided not to use the villain you suggested simply because it would be too much for me to work with. Don't get me, wrong! I think Reaver is a real bad-ass and awesome villain, but I think Daelin's grudge against Seto and the Blue Eyes White Dragon is fine._

_Sara and groupies – xD Sorry about the "groupies" thing – lol…I don't wanna insult your friend Lauren by making Weevil her father…so I think Lauren will be just like a fairy or something. Hope she's okay with that…Bell's gonna play a semi-important role in the events to come, so keep watch – x)_


	7. a Change in The Perfect Rule

—_I've kept everybody in suspense long enough…um, I'm supposed to give a long introduction before letting you read the Chapter…but you can wait until the end of this Chapter before reading my useless rambling. So if you've read this top italic this far, then congratulations…you're a loyal reader…okay, Rizu's is shutting up now and letting you read her Chapter._

**Chapter 7 – a Change in "The Perfect Rule"**

Evil Diana could only stare in disbelief when she heard Val speak in real time. She got over her surprise quickly and said, "So she can talk out loud. Big deal! My deck leader can do that too. Evil Valkyria, I command you to show everyone what you say."

Evil Val opened her mouth…but no words came out. She couldn't talk aloud like the real Val could. Diana struggled to her feet. "I see it now."

"See what?" Evil Diana grunted.

"I see the difference between us now. My cards are everything to me. I would rather sacrifice my life than see any of them harmed. So answer me this…if one of those Immortal Thieves got hold of your Valkyria and sucked out her immortality, would you give up everything to save her?" Diana said to her evil side.

Pearls of sweat formed on Evil Diana's forehead as she glared angrily at her better half. "Why should I care? If it's not me then what's the point?"

"You just proved my point." Diana said. "You're not my evil half. You're not even a part of me! You're just some illusion that was created by Silverfox."

Daelin looked at the half-elf who sat bolt upright. Jhada's jaw dropped in fear and shock. _Th-that power,_ she thought. _I sense powerful magical energies coming from this girl. H-How…wh-why didn't I sense it before? Is she so powerful that she's able to keep her true magic hidden? Or has it truly been lying dormant inside her all this time?_

Yugi approached Jhada. "Is Diana right? Why did you create that…that thing? That evil apparition is nothing like my Angel!"

"Put a cork in it, Kingy. I'll explain my reasons once the duel's over. I have a feeling your woman is about to kick serious ass." Jhada said to him. She rubbed the back of her neck where the little hairs were still standing straight up from the shock of Diana's power.

Daelin felt a little ridged too. He could feel Diana's magic as well and it had almost made him wet his armor. _I never once felt such great strength,_ he thought. _My power is nothing in comparison to hers._

_Now I just have to find the card Val was talking about,_ Diana thought. She had almost forgotten about her face-down card. It was Solar Ray and she could lower Evil Diana's life points by 600, because Valkyria's attribute was Light. Solar Ray would decrease Evil Diana's life point count depending on how many Light monsters were on the field.

_I can't let this illusion of myself defeat me,_ Diana thought. _I trust Val. She choose me to be her duelist and that's why we merged together to fight off Bakura. I know she trusts me and would sacrifice anything to protect me. I have to have that kind of faith in myself._ Diana grabbed the card at the top of her deck and picked it up.

"I've never seen this card before." she whispered. Val looked over her shoulder and smiled. _This must be the card I need,_ Diana thought. "I summon a monster face-down in defense mode."

Evil Diana burst out laughing. "That's it! With all that power pulsing from your body I would have expected a huge finale or something! Damn, this is gonna be too easy! Guardian Mage, show her what true power is!" Evil Guardian Mage blasted Diana's Magician of Faith to bits and Evil Diana smirked. "I'm surprised your deck leader didn't protect her."

Diana smiled. "Because I wanted you to destroy my Magician of Faith."

"Say what?"

"I thought you knew. I mean, you are the embodiment of my darker side, right?" Diana shrugged. "Since Magician of Faith was flipped over by your attack, I get to choose a magic card to bring back from my Graveyard."

"Big deal. It won't—" The realization finally hid Evil Diana. "Oh no…"

"Yep." Diana pulled Monster Reborn out of her Graveyard. "I use Monster Reborn to bring back my faithful Blue Eyes!" Diana's Dragon appeared on the field and Evil Guardian Mage's attack points went down to 5100 again.

"It…It still doesn't matter. Your Dragon's power is nothing compared to my mage."

"Who said I was done yet?" Diana snapped. "I still have this ritual card to play. Activate Heaven Metal Ritual!"

"Heaven Metal Ritual! What does that do?"

"Heaven Metal Ritual allows me to fuse two Light monsters together so long as one of those monsters is a spellcaster."

"You don't have a spellcaster in play."

"Sh-She has me!" Val snapped.

Jhada shook her head. "She still can't play that card. A deck leader is there for only one purpose and that is to represent the duelist's life points."

Diana frowned at Jhada. "Really? Is that all a deck leader is good for?"

Jhada clenched her fists. "Listen, Rose Duelist, I have respect for my deck leader, but I follow The Perfect Rule. I don't know what the hell you're thinking."

"Well, maybe your Perfect Rule ain't so damn perfect." Diana spat. "I happen to be thinking that I'm gonna prove you wrong about me. You think I'm weak, well watch this!"

Blue Eyes White Dragon and Val were enveloped in a blinding, but beautiful light. Both monsters merged together and a new creature appeared. She looked like Val in face, hair and eyes except she wore a black sleeveless shirt and a black dress with a slit at the hip. Her bluish-white boots and gloves were clawed much like the Blue Eyes Dragon's claws and feet. Her white helmet was sleek and had devil-looking horns on the sides. The wings that spread out from her shoulder blades were identical to the Blue Eyes White Dragon's wings. Her attack power was 3650 and her defense was 3000.

"It's still not…not powerful enough." Evil Diana snapped.

"Wrong. She gets an extra 1000 attack and defense points for every Light monster on either side of the field. And I count two on your side."

"Shit…" Evil Diana took a step backwards in terror.

Diana smirked. "Oh I'm sorry. I forgot to introduce my new mage. Evil Me, I'd like you to meet Valkyria the Dragon Mage. Now Val, attack her Guardian Mage with Heavenly Clawed Slash!"

The new Val gained her extra points making her attack point at 5650.The claws on her left hand glowed bright gold and she sliced at Evil Guardian Mage with all her might. The evil mage was destroyed instantly and Evil Diana's life points went down to 1550. Diana smiled. "Now you have no monsters left, which means that you're done for."

Evil Diana was in a panic and ran to leave her deck leader all alone. "Val, destroy her deck leader. I'll take care of my darker self." Val nodded and destroyed Evil Valkyria easily.

Diana cornered her dark self at the closed doors of the castle. "It's over. I don't need you anymore."

"Yes you do. I'm your dark side, remember? I'll always be with you."

"Then shut up and leave me alone!" Diana shouted. A blue staff with a Blue Eyes White Dragon head on the top appeared in her hand and she automatically aimed it at her evil self. A blast of electric blue light slammed into Evil Diana, eliminating her…and the doors.

Daelin slapped his forehead. "Dammit…she could have at least left my castle intact."

Jhada laughed so hard that she fell out the throne. "Well done! Well done, Rose Duelist! That was splendid!"

Yugi ran over to his Angel, who fell to her knees in exhaustion. He slipped his arm around her shoulder and kissed her cheek. "My love, you were amazing."

"Guess I altered The Perfect Rule, huh?"

Yugi smiled. "That's all right, Angel." He kissed her again. "I never doubted you."

Diana rested her head against his chest. It was like a pillow and she nuzzled at his heart before falling into unconsciousness. Yugi picked her up in his arms and turned as Daelin approached them. "I'll have my maid show you where the guest rooms are."

"Thank you Lord Gryphonia."

"Call me Daelin."

Daelin snapped his fingers and a mysterious girl came running to his side. She knelt about four feet behind him and said, "You beckoned, Lord Daelin?"

"Melisanne, will you show King Henry to our finest guest room. His lover needs her sleep." Daelin said.

"Yessir." Melisanne was a petite young lady with long, black hair and crystal clear eyes. She was very pale and reminded Yugi of an Oriental woman. She wore a long, tan skirt and a light red jacket with long, loose sleeves. On her hands were red gloves and around her neck was a beige scarf. She stood and bowed to Yugi. "Please, follow me."

Daelin motioned for Yugi to lean in. The King leaned forward and Daelin whispered, "Melisanne is the only servant in my castle. I gave her a home here and in return she has promised to help keep the place more or less tidy. From Fin has told me, her past is a dark one. Don't say anything, but I personally think Fin is in love with her."

Yugi chuckled and straightened. He became serious and said, "I want to thank you for keeping my Angel safe. She means the world to me."

Daelin nodded. "Unfortunately, I don't understand love. The only love I've ever had is the brother-sister kind of love." He sighed sadly. "I suppose that doesn't count."

"I know how you feel. I care deeply for my own brother and I would not want him harmed for anything in the world." Yugi said and hurried to catch up to the young maid.

——————

Nuri snuck back into Bakura's stronghold. He sniffed around the bedroom and was appalled at the sticky substance on the sheets. "Could you guys at least clean up your nasty fluids!" he complained to open air. "Bad enough I have to sense it, but now I gotta walk _through_ it. God dammit…"

"Nuriel!" growled a familiar voice. Nuri hid under the bed. The shoes of Bakura walked passed the bed as the Druid's voice rang out. "Nuriel, I know you're in here! Where have you been?"

Nuri slid out from under the bed and replied, "Oh just…tracking that butt ugly chimera you two created."

Bakura frowned. "You're a liar."

"Now let's not resort to name calling. That's just rude." Nuri scolded and started to walk out of the room. Bakura waved his hand and the door slammed in Nuri's face. The white pooka turned and said, "That was also rude…"

"Keep quiet. You're helping them, aren't you?"

"Helping who? Are we fighting somebody?"

"Don't play stupid with me, Nuriel. You went to King Henry and told him everything, didn't you?" Bakura asked.

Nuri's tail twitched as he said, "W-Well…"

"You did! What the hell is wrong with you! I am trying to create a world for Ryou. I'm doing this all for his sake! I'm the only one who knows what's best for him!"

"Oh I see…and Ryou doesn't know what's best for him? He can't think on his own, right? Yeah, you have to do all the thinking for him." Nuri snapped.

Bakura made a red snake appear. It was a death charm. Nuri glared it unflinchingly. "Go ahead and kill me. Ryou and I are bonded so if I die, then he does too."

The Druid killed his death charm. "Damn you." He grabbed Nuri by the scruff of the neck. The pooka wriggled and fought against him.

"Put me down, damn you! That fuckin' hurts!" Nuri snapped as Bakura pushed him into a cage and locked it. The pooka struggled against the iron bars, but they were magic proof.

"There. Now behave or I'll banish you to a place where no one will ever find you." Bakura said, placing the key to the cage in his robes.

"When Ryou hears about this, I'll—"

"He won't. I'm going to serve the bond you share with him. Once that happens, then I'll kill you for betraying me and him."

"I betrayed no one, you bastard! Ryou asked me to tell Yugi everything."

Bakura slammed the bedroom door shut and locked it with another key. "Now I'll have a talk with my love."

——————

Yugi laid Diana on a beautiful, canopy bed of white silk sheets and fluffy, blue pillows with blue curtains. Melisanne stood by the door and asked, "Shall I bring anything? Food or drink? Medicine perhaps?"

"No thank you, Melisanne. But if you would do me a favor and check on her when you can and let me or Daelin know when she has awakened." Yugi said.

Melisanne bowed. "Yessir. I will do so." She left the room to give them some privacy.

Yugi stroked Diana's hair and kissed her forehead. "Oh you are so beautiful when you sleep my dear." _She is so much stronger than when she first came here,_ Yugi thought. _When I first saw her, I felt awestruck by how beautiful she was. I was in love with her the minute she fell into my arms. And when she held me on the battlefield, I wanted so much for us to stay that way._ Yugi smirked and turned red a little. _Who would have guessed that only a few weeks later that I would steal her virginity?_

He kissed her cheek and ran a hand down her side and hip before tearing himself away from her. Yugi took one last look at his sleeping love before walking out of the room and back towards the throne room where Fin had appeared again and Daelin was repairing the damaged doors with his magic.

Fin turned and bowed to the King. "Sire, I heard you had come. Welcome to Thar Amrun. How is Diana? Is she all right?"

"For the last time, Fin," Jhada said, still lounging on Daelin's throne, "I told you that she wore herself out fighting her evil self."

Yugi turned to face Jhada completely. "Has she proven her strength to you now?"

"Well I think Daelin's busted front doors and the fact she's just twisted The Perfect Rule pretty much sum up her power. I know Daelin felt her power. I think he wet himself when he felt it too."

Daelin frowned at her as he finished the repair work. "I did not. Now get off my throne before I have you banished."

Jhada jumped down from the throne. "Calm down. I just wanted to toughen the girl up. I knew she had that much power. I was only helping her to awaken it. She's going to need that power when she faces Bakura. Defeating him is no picnic."

Yugi nodded. Daelin sighed. "There's still the matter of Rosenburg and what to do with him."

The King of Britain gritted his teeth behind his lips. He looked at Daelin and said, "I want to see Rosenburg."

Fin smirked. "Follow me and I'll take you to him. Want to kill him?"

"As fun as that would be, no I don't. He may have something useful to say." Yugi said. _Besides, I want to rub the fact that Diana is now mine in his face,_ he thought wickedly.

—_Heh…wonder how many "choice words" Yugi has for Rosenburg. Okay, I kinda made Jhada the evil bitch in that last chapter. Totally did not mean for her to sound that way. Jhada's not the one to despise; she's not that bad, honest. I brought Fin back too…he'll explain where he's been in Chapter 8. Diana's got a staff now…that's cool and the fact that she has a Blue Eyes White Dragon might make it a bit difficult to be friends with Daelin… - anyways…time for Review Responses!_

_Jaded – glad you like how I portray Jhada…heh…I think she sort of wants to be Diana's protector more than she wants to be Yugi's protector though…but yeah, now you know why she made Diana duel against herself…_

_Swift – Jhada is just one of those "tough love" kind of people...wait until the next Chapter to see what Yugi says to Rosenburg – xD_

_DarkShadow – well, y'know I originally thought about giving Daelin blue eyes, but then he hates the Blue Eyes White Dragon…yeah, that would be kinda weird, so I went with green and it sounded better…glad you approved_

_Sara and company with Lauren the fairy – I keep making your name longer…lol…anyways, Lauren shall make her debut in the next chapter. Also Bell is gonna pop back in and then pop back out…but then she'll make another appearance in Chapter 9 – so she's semi-important in the plot…_

_SG – well, there was the debut of your character! Hee…her brother and sister that live with her are gonna appear in the next Chapter for a little while. Wow, I have a lot of character debuts in Chapter 8. o.O My mother nags…you, on the other hand, don't nag so no worries…I like long reviews. Melisanne is gonna "slip in" again in Chapter 8 as well._

—_I'm impressed with everybody's characters. They're all so great and I'm giving it my all to represent them in a way that makes people happy. I guess, in a way, this fic is as much everybody else's fic as it is mine. I'm always looking for character ideas. Thanks for creating such good ones, everybody ;)_


	8. Severed Bond

—_You got served…with another Chapter of Sapphire Rose. So many characters to debut in this Chapter…whew…if I didn't get everybody, then I'll getcha next Chapter. Also, there is some stuff that will need translating in the Chapter, but you'll know it when you come to it._

**Chapter 8 – Severed Bond**

Fin escorted Yugi down the dampened dungeon hall guided by few torches and dim light. Yugi felt unnerved by the fact that there weren't any criminals in any of the cells. He also jumped out of his skin when he finally saw someone.

Bell Lutz stared up at the King. "Another human? They must be in season this year."

"Quiet you. Maybe if you behave, I might ask Daelin to release you a hundred years early."

Bell shrugged and rolled over on her side. Yugi only stared at her. I wonder what she is imprisoned for, he thought.

The girl looked at him again. "I read your thoughts. You're wondering why I'm in here, right?"

Yugi blinked in surprise. "Yes."

"Ask Fin. I'm tired of repeating my sentence to everybody that comes through here." Bell muttered. She yawned and fell asleep.

Yugi caught up with the elf and asked him about Bell. "She's actually the reason I wasn't around when you arrived. I had gone to meet with her people and discuss the matters of her banishment."

"She was banished from her people?" Yugi asked.

"I was sent on a mission of peace to her people. To answer your question, yes. She was banished when she stole her emperor's crown. Bell even pretended she was mentally unstable in order to get out of any sort of punishment. But the Emperor merely banished her from his land. So she wandered into our lands and stole Daelin's Mystical Knight of Jackal."

"So she's a thief then. Why would she do these things?"

"Some of her people claimed it was because she would sell them for money. Others claim she really is mentally unstable. I found out that her emperor cheated his way onto the throne and Bell was part of a rebellious group who wanted to put the rightful emperor on the throne. Bell stole the Emperor's crown and set the Emperor's bed chambers on fire in violent protest."

"And she was banished for this."

"Not for the fire. She made it look like natural causes, but she admitted to me that she did start the fire. I didn't tattle on her though." Fin said. He stopped and turned to the King. "Bell stole Daelin's Mystical Knight of Jackal because her father was the one who gave Mystical Knight to Daelin's father. Bell never told him that, because she never thought he would believe her."

Yugi only stared back. There was a rustling sound in the cell adjacent from where they stood. Yugi could make out the form of a huge, hairy beast in cold, blue eyes. "So that's him…"

"Don't get to close, your Majesty. He is quite strong in this form." Fin said.

"Thank you for leading me here, Fin." Yugi whispered.

Fin nodded. "Lle creoso, sire." _(Lle creoso - You're welcome)_

Yugi approached the cell, making sure to stand well out of reach should Rosenburg attack. The chimera saw Yugi and narrowed its eyes as if gazing at a cockroach. "Prince…"

"That's 'your Majesty' to you, Rosenburg." Yugi snapped.

The chimera formerly known as Seto snorted. "So you're King now. What a festive occasion…"

"I've been King for nearly a year. Diana and I have been together for exactly that long." Yugi smirked evilly.

At the mention of the Rose Duelist, Rosenburg stood on all fours, his fur standing on end like a cat. "You bastard…you dare take her before I've had the chance to break her!"

"Diana is not a possession, Rosenburg. Especially not your possession. I love her and she chooses to be with me."

The chimera rattled his cell door, biting at the bars and clawing the floor. He bellowed and roared, until Bell screamed from down the hall. "Shut the ever-loving hell up! Some of us actually want to get some sleep!"

Rosenburg settled down and Yugi noticed all the bite marks on the bars and claw marks on the floor. All the marks were both recent and old. Seto had obviously ranted and raved prior to Yugi's arrival. The King looked the chimera directly in the eyes, and asked, "Why did Bakura do this to you?"

"Revenge perhaps. I did keep him in my service against his will. He freed me so that I could find Diana."

"Why would he do that?"

"I don't read minds like that bitch down there." Seto gestured in Bell's direction. "I didn't stay around to ask either. I wanted to find Diana as soon as I could."

Yugi glared at him. "So do you truly love her then?"

"I am obsessed with her. If I don't touch her again, I will surely die inside."

The King said nothing in regards to that statement. He changed the subject. "What is the issue with Bakura and Ryou? I was told Bakura was planning to create a utopia from both this world and ours. This utopia is supposedly for Ryou."

"I did not know what Bakura's plan was until now. But I do know that Ryou wants no part of this madness. I saw the fear, the shame, and the sadness…all of it in his eyes. He will betray Bakura. The sadness and shame is too much for his innocent heart to bear."

"And if he does?"

"Then Bakura will be lost…and possibly go insane." Rosenburg answered.

"One would think he's already insane." Fin muttered. The chimera only growled at the elf.

Yugi turned to leave. "You were useless for once, Rosenburg. Thank you for the information."

"I want to see Diana."

"No."

"Brine her here, damn you Henry!"

Yugi left with Fin without a backwards glance.

——————

"Ryou!" Bakura's roar rang throughout the small castle. Bakura was angry that his love would dare help their enemies, but he did not want to frighten the only one who ever loved him away. If Ryou should ever leave me, he thought, then I shall rip the earth apart to find him and do whatever it would take it to win him back.

Ryou wandered in, looking around the room cautiously and said in a timid voice, "Y-Yes love?"

Bakura calmed down at the sight of Ryou's innocent, chocolate eyes. "Where have you been, my heart?"

"I've been reading up on my spells and checking the sentries." Ryou looked around again. He then stared at Bakura with a worried expression on his baby face. "Kura, where is Nuri? He hasn't come to me and yet I sense his presence nearby. Do you know if he's all right? I'm so worried about him. Could you please check your crystal ball?"

The evil Druid was silent. He loved how Ryou looked in that moment. Ryou did not look like a powerful White Druid, but more like a frightened child who just found out his pet had died. "Nuri is…" Bakura began, not sure how to approach the subject with Ryou in such a concerned state. "I had to punish him."

Ryou's hands were trembling. "Wh-Why would you do that, Kura? What did…did he do?"

Bakura sat down in a red velvety chair. "Ryou, did you send him to King Henry and his court?"

Ryou took a step back and bit his lower lip. He didn't want to speak the truth for fear that Bakura might attack him. "I…well…I just…"

"Answer me, love. I want to know the truth."

The White Druid fell to his knees and whispered, "Yes. I sent Nuri to tell Yugi and his brother what we were planning. I…I just can't live with knowing I helped create this…this horrible army. Please, Kura…we have to stop this."

Bakura looked at his pleading lover for a minute and then stood. He walked slowly over to the cowering White Druid and knelt in front of him and gripped his shoulders. "Don't you understand that I'm doing this all for you, Ryou? I'm creating a utopia free of anyone else. These two worlds shall be ours to control and rule over. Don't you want that?"

Truth was that Ryou never did want it. It had all been Bakura's idea and he cleverly convinced Ryou to assist him. Ryou hung his head. "Please let Nuri go. I don't want him harmed, Kura."

"It's okay, love." Bakura embraced him gently. His eyes began to glow a soft lavender color and purple-green snakes wrapped themselves around the two. Ryou suddenly felt like a knife was cutting at his heart. He jumped and tried to pull free, but Bakura held him firmly. "Easy, love. I'll free you from the hurt."

"B-Bakura…" Ryou whimpered. He was trembling now as he felt his soul being divided. Nuri's determination to return to Ryou was fading fast. "Kura! No, please! Nuri! Nuri, where are you!" Ryou tensed from the pain as his link with Nuri was stretched and stretched to its limit.

In the bedroom, inside his cage, Nuri gave a piercing high-pitched screech. The glass of the window shattered and Nuri whirled around his cage from the aching pain he felt at his soul and his heart. "Ryou, what's happening to you! Ryou, please help me!" Nuri cried. He fell to the cage floor and gave another screech as the bond between them was destroyed.

Nuri was barely conscious now. A bond between pooka and human was not to be closed like this. It hurt like hell and Nuri was the youngest pooka to have ever been bonded to a human. He tried with all his might to sense Ryou, but all he felt now was his own pain.

"Ryou…" he whispered. A sparkle near the shattered window caught his hazy eyes. He tried to rise up, but fell over with fatigue.

"Master Nuriel?" said a tiny voice as the sparkle came closer. The sparkle shimmered and transformed into a young girl with curly brown hair with blue highlights. She was dressed in a greenish shirt and skirt and silvery wings grew from her back. It was a fairy.

"H-Help me…Maia." Nuri said before fainting.

The fairy gasped and touched the cage door. It opened instantly and she picked Nuri up in her arms. He was barely alive. "Master Nuri, please don't die." the fairy said. She jumped when she heard a voice coming towards the room. Maia the fairy quickly fell out the window and high into the sky.

Once she was in the safety of the clouds, Maia checked Nuri to see if there were any exterior wounds she could heal. There weren't, but she felt a great deal of inner pain. His soul had been sliced by a powerful magic. "Oh Nuri…your bond has been severed. You poor thing…don't worry. I shall help you. Diamond Dust will know what to do."

——————

Diana heard voices talking in a language she recognized. It sounded like Japanese or something close to it. The voices were small and frail, so they were probably children. Diana found through the thick clouds of sleep and opened her eyes. They were children and they jumped back in fear as she awoke.

Diana sat up slowly and looked at them. She could tell they were Japanese by their appearance. They were a boy and a girl. Diana thought the girl was adorable with her long dark hair with pink highlights that were tied in two buns, one on each side of her head. She wore a dark blue silk robe with white and red fish swimming around the bottom. The boy was certainly older, almost to the puberty age was Diana's guess. He also wore a silk robe, but his was dark red and had fire around the sleeve hems.

Diana waved to them. "Hello there."

The girl waved, but the boy did not. He only stared at her. Diana bit a fingernail. _Maybe they don't understand English,_ she thought. Diana knew some Japanese terms from watching anime shows in her time period, but she wouldn't be able to hold an interesting conversation.

"Konnichi wa." Diana said. "Onamae?" _(Konnichi wa - Good afternoon – Onamae - What is your name?)_

The children smiled. The boy bowed slightly and replied, "Konnichi wa, Xiao-Li."

"Jun Ling." the girl said. "Onamae?"

"Diana Sapphire."

"Diana-san!" the girl giggled and crawled onto the foot of the bed. The boy snapped something to her that Diana didn't understand, but from the way he was gesturing, Diana guessed that he was asking her to get off the bed.

The girl stuck her tongue out at him and looked at Diana. "Diana-san…ogenki desu ka?" _(Ogenki desu ka - How are you?)_

"Ogenki desu." Diana replied. "Eigo ga wakarimasu ka?" She had to know if these children spoke English. _(Ogenki desu - I'm fine – Eigo ga wakarimasu ka - Do you understand English?)_

Xiao shrugged. "A…lit-tle."

Suddenly the door opened and in came a tall girl wrapped all in clothes except for her face. Jun and Xiao ran to her and started talking rapidly in Japanese. The tall girl hushed them both and sent them away quietly.

She walked over and bowed to Diana. "Hello miss. I am Melisanne. Is there anything I can get for you?"

"Were those your brother and sister?" Diana asked.

Melisanne straightened. "Yes miss. I am sorry if they caused any trouble."

"No. They were very polite and so adorable. I got to practice my Japanese." Diana smiled.

"Oh you speak Japanese?"

Diana sat cross-legged on the bed. "For the most part, but I only know a few words and phrases. The language I'm best at is Spanish."

"You are a Spaniard?"

Diana shook her head. "I just know more Spanish than any other language."

Melisanne nodded. She repeated her question, "Is there anything I can get for you?"

"Oh…um…"

Before Diana could answer, Jun poked her head in and waved to Diana. "Sayonara Diana-san!" _(Sayonara - Good-bye)_

"Sayonara." Diana said, waving back as the girl disappeared again. "She's so cute."

Melisanne smiled. "Thank you. I have been taking care of my brother and sister for a long time. Daelin was very kind to let us stay here in the castle."

"Oh you work for Daelin. He lets you live in the castle?"

"We do not have any other place to live. He is very kind and the money I earn is good. I am lucky he is a good employer." Melisanne said.

Diana nodded. "He's very nice."

Melisanne bowed. "Forgive me, lady. I was instructed to inform his Majesty of your awakening."

"King Henry? Oh…okay. Thank you, Melisanne." Diana replied. The girl turned and left the room. Diana propped up the pillows so she could lean against the headboard.

Diamond Dust came in and jumped into Diana's lap. "It's good that you're so powerful, Diana. God knows you'll need it before this little conflict is over."

"I know, Diamond Dust. How has everything been since I passed out?"

"Moderate. More immortal creatures continue to gather around the castle. The invaders have completely left Tanna Undome, so Yami, Cara, Tea and everyone else is safe. Yugi's knights fought bravely and Rex and Weevil brought out their monsters to help. Yami is in charge until Yugi returns."

"Henry has to go back some time, Diamond Dust." Diana said quietly. She looked out the bedroom window to watch the sun setting beyond the distant mountains. "I noticed the scar on Henry's eye. Is he going to be okay?"

"Yes my lady. Serena did all she could for it. But he might not be able to see out of that eye ever again." Diamond Dust said.

Diana smiled. "Oh well. I still love him." _He's still sexy even with the scar on his eye,_ Diana thought with a blush.

Diamond Dust was about to settle in for a nap when Jhada burst into the room. "Rose Duelist, we need your help. Nuri's back and he is dying."

The gray pooka was scampering off Diana's lap in a flash. "The hell did you just say! What's wrong with my Nuriel?"

"Exactly what I said, Dusty." Jhada replied. "Hurry, Lady Diana. You're the only one who has the power to help him."

Diana got out of bed and grabbed her staff. Diamond Dust jumped on her shoulder and Diana felt the pooka's worry and concern like a huge rock about to crush her. "Don't Diamond Dust, I'll help him. I won't let Nuri die."

The pooka looked at her and said softly, "Please do, Diana. I love him as much as you love Henry…" Tears of love, trust and concern clouded the pooka's eyes, but instead of crying them out, she merely brushed them away impatiently.

—_Cliffhanger, I know. Aww…it's so cute how Diamond Dust is in love with Nuri. BTW: that sort of thing doesn't affect Diana or Ryou. A pooka and its bonded human can only sense what the other is feeling, but that's all. Besides, it's already obvious that Ryou and Diana have lovers. Duh…anyways, Review Responses:_

_DarkShadow – Rosenburg had a tantrum…that was it really. I mean he already knew Diana and Yugi had something between them. He's still obsessed about her though. Yeah…Daelin wasn't in this chapter. He was only mentioned…sorry._

_Jaded – romance between Daelin and Jhada? Heh…well that sounds interesting but I don't own Daelin as one of my own characters. DarkShadow will have to give me permission for that sort of thing first. Jhada does want to protect both Yugi and Diana, but I think she feels a sort of "older sister responsibility" towards Diana. You'll find out why that's the case in Chapter 9. There really isn't a relation between Fin and Jhada other than the fact that they both have elf blood running through their veins._

_Swift – well, not much rubbing…Yugi decided to keep it simple and formal. Oh well…there will be other times…_

_SG – how'd you like Jun and Xiao? Oh man, I hope I got the language they speak right. No I don't think Melisanne will do any skin revealing in the next Chapters she is in. So cute how Fin has a crush on her…they have a lot in common. You'll find out what later…heh._

_mariks1andonly – I will certainly try to keep updating ASAP. Hopefully I can…_

_Sara and company with Lauren as Maia the fairy – hope Lauren notices her character. I had a hard time finding a good "fairy" name, but I settled on Maia. In Greek mythology, Maia was the goddess of springtime. Hope Lauren's a spring – lol. Yes I would love to read your fic! Go ahead and send it when you can, I would love to read it._


	9. Broken Hearts

—_I have completed yet another Chapter. Now before you read I want you to pay close attention to this paragraph right here. I won't be updating for a long while, because I'm in some serious trouble with my parents and it's not looking too good. So I will try and update when I can, but it might not be in the very near future. But I will update! This I promise my loyal readers!_

**Chapter Nine – Broken Hearts**

Ryou curled up into the fetal position as he lay on his bed. He'd locked the door and put a magic seal on it to prevent Bakura from using magic to enter. He was frightened and sad without Nuri. His soul felt only half complete and he was furious that Bakura would do such a thing. His fire for the evil Druid was fading rapidly to a mere spark. But it was still there deep inside.

"Nuri…please be all right, my friend. You've been with me since I first became a Druid. Our mentors thought that we were awfully young to go through such a ritual, but we proved them wrong. We bonded our souls and lived through it." Ryou said to himself. Nuri had been a pet, traveling companion, study buddy, and dear friend to Ryou for at least five years.

The White Druid hugged a pillow to his chest and wished he knew if Nuri had survived or not. He had found his windows broken and the cage where Bakura imprisoned Nuri had been opened and empty. Did Nuri escape? Did the pooka think Ryou hated him? Ryou could only pray he would find his white pooka.

"I should have never betrayed Prince Alexander." Ryou said. He suddenly sat up. "Wait, Alexander will forgive me. He's my friend and I can help him protect the British Empire from Bakura's Knights. At least I know how those Knights were created." He stood and collected as much of his books and scrolls as he could to make himself ready to leave.

——————

"Nuri!" Diamond Dust shouted when she saw the white pooka lying on the table in the middle of Daelin's study. She jumped from Diana's shoulder and ran to Nuri's side. The white pooka was still alive, but barely.

"What happened to him?" Diana asked.

"It's Ryou's pooka. The bond between him and the White Druid was severed. A fairy found Nuri in a cage and in this condition." Daelin replied. "Diana, you are the only one who has the power to heal Nuri."

Diana blinked. "You mean repair the bond between them?"

Jhada sighed heavily. "Unfortunately, no power in any world can do that. Such a magic is older than time itself. Just heal the poor creature the best you can."

Diana nodded and aimed her staff at the white pooka. Diamond Dust nuzzled Nuri before leaping to Daelin's shoulder.

"Concentrate on the healing process, Diana." Daelin instructed.

_Just like when I saved Henry,_ Diana thought. She focused her thoughts and feelings to a living, healthy Nuri. She had never really met Nuri and she didn't really know how he was, but she imagined that he must be pretty wonderful for Diamond Dust to love him so. The eyes on the Blue Eyes Head of Diana's staff started to glow dimly. The glow brightened and Nuri's body became enveloped in the same glow.

Diamond Dust started to relax when she saw Nuri's fur become brighter and neater. He didn't look so close to death now. But the lady pooka could feel that it was taking all of Diana's focus and attention to help Nuri. Diamond Dust whispered this fact to Daelin and he nodded. "I can sense it. She needs to exercise her power. That's what Silverfox says anyways."

Finally the glow died down and Diana fell to her knees. Yugi ran to her side and let her rest her head on his shoulder. Nuri's eyes fluttered open and Diamond Dust was at his side again. Diana sighed at the swelling of happiness and relief that she felt coming from her pooka. The two pookas tackled each other and Nuri pulled at Diamond Dust's ear and she scratched at his fur.

To Yugi, they looked they were trying to kill each other. But he noticed that no one else was protesting, so he kept quiet about it. When the pookas were calm down, Nuri jumped down to the floor and bowed his head. "Thank you Rose Duelist. You saved me and I'm very grateful to you."

"You're welcome." Diana said.

Nuri looked at Yugi and smiled. "King Henry! Nice to see you again!"

"Nuri…" Yugi said. The King helped Diana to her feet and Diamond Dust jumped down to stand beside Nuri.

"Don't scare me like that again, Nuri. I thought you were going to die."

"Why? I'm not going anywhere, Diamond Dust." Nuri said.

Diamond Dust rolled her eyes. Jhada coughed to get their attention. "You realize this means Ryou's probably angry at Bakura by now, right?"

"He'll leave Bakura, I know it." Nuri said. "Ryou and I are no longer connected, but it doesn't our bond for me to know that he's hurt and sad. I should go and find him."

"Just like Rosenburg said." Fin whispered. Yugi nodded in agreement.

Jhada stamped her foot in irritation. "I have to go find Ryou. I've known him since we were kids. I can help him."

"You said you had to stay here and protect Yugi."

"Let his woman do that, Dark Shadow." Jhada snapped.

"Don't you talk to me like that, Silverfox."

"If Fin was in Ryou's position right now, you'd do something about it too. Why is it any different with me?" Jhada growled. She turned on her heel and left the room.

Daelin sighed. "She is so complicated."

"Let her go." said Yugi.

"I intend to, sire." Daelin grunted. "You should take Diana to rest for a while. I'll send Melisanne in with food and drink."

Yugi nodded and helped Diana back to her room with the pookas following. Yugi sat on the bed and leaned against the headboard while Diana put her head in his lap. Diamond Dust and Nuri curled up next to each other at the foot of the bed in a blissful sleep.

"I noticed your eye, Henry. Are you okay?"

Yugi's lips curled into a small smile. "I'm all right now, Diana." He ran his fingers through her hair and sighed peacefully. "My world is brighter when you're near me."

Diana blushed slightly. "What about your kingdom?"

"They're fine. I told you I left Yami in charge." Yugi rubbed his stomach. "God, I'm hungry. I hope Melisanne hurries with our food."

Diana frowned a little. "Yugi, shouldn't you go back to your kingdom?"

"I'm staying here with you, Diana. I want to help you."

Diana sat up and looked at him. "Henry…they need you more than I do."

Yugi straightened and hugged her. "Diana, I need to be with you." He flipped her over so that she was lying on the bed and he was kissing her. He pulled away and buried his head in her neck. "I need to be close to you, Diana. I love you so much."

"I love you too, Henry. But your people need their King to support them and help them. No doubt those Immortal Thieves damaged a lot of property and killed so many people."

"Yes. But I want to help you before anything else." came Yugi's muffled response.

Diana immediately pushed him off her. "Henry, what is wrong with you? Those are the people that stood by you when you were in exile. They're the same people that came to your coronation and cheered your success. Forget about me and go help them!"

Yugi was shocked. He could only stare at her. Diana sat up and got off the bed. Yugi followed her and held her close. He didn't want to be separated from her. He wanted to always be with her. He hated being so far away from her warmth and her love.

"Let go, Henry!" Diana snapped, pulling away. "Listen to me. I do love you, but you have to understand that I can't be with you every minute. Please just give me my space and let me alone once in awhile."

"I—" Yugi began, but stopped. "I want—"

"Don't be like Rosenburg and get obsessive over me." Diana said in a low tone. She cried out when Yugi's hand connected with her cheek.

"I'm nothing like that monster…" Yugi said angrily. He saw Diana's cheek go red and her trembling hand touch the sore spot. He was immediately ashamed and sorry about what he did. _I…I hit her,_ he thought. _I hit the one I love most. What have I done?_ He should have stayed and begged for forgiveness, but that's not what happened.

Yugi turned and left the room just as Diamond Dust and Nuri were entering. "Hi there, sire!" said Nuri cheerfully, but Yugi walked right passed them. "Thanks a lot, buddy."

Diamond Dust ran over to Diana who was still holding her reddened cheek. "Diana, what happened? What's wrong?"

"He…H-Henry slapped me." Diana stuttered with tears glistening in her eyes.

——————

Henry headed for the place where he first crossed over with Jhada. He felt so stupid and so guilty. He hit Diana. He really hit her! She was right, though. They did need some time away from each other. _I have to remember that it was because of me that her life has gone from horrible to incredible,_ Yugi thought as he approached the tree identical to the one in his world. _I must leave this place for her sake and give myself time to settle down._

"Your Majesty?" asked a timid voice. Yugi turned and was stunned to see Ryou standing there with a load of scrolls and books in his arms.

"Ryou! What are you doing here?"

Ryou knelt and said, "Please forgive, sire. I can't take the pain of my guilt and my shame. I did not mean to betray Prince Alexander. I honestly didn't, so now I humbly ask for—"

"Ryou, please…let's talk about this at my castle." Yugi said.

The White Druid stood and nodded. "Yes my lord." He walked through the tree with the King and they disappeared back into Tanna Undome.

Far away, in his gloomy-looking castle, Bakura watched his lover through the crystal ball as the White Druid met with Yugi and crossed back into the human world. Bakura stood and grabbed the chair he'd been sitting in. He threw it across the room and it smashed into the wall and shattered to pieces.

"Ryou…I will get you back." He growled to himself. "I need you…I cannot live without you."

—_Wonderful eh? Yugi hit Diana and Ryou ran away from Bakura. Now this has to end well, right? Oh who knows? You'll see in Chapter 10 when I am able to update. Review Response are in…3…2…1…now:_

_DarkShadow – okay, cool. I was asking only because I know he's not my character. Thanks, I'll think about it._

_Jaded – you'll know how Yami and the others are doing in the next Chapter. Wait until they handle the news about Ryou rejoining the good side._

_Swift – that wasn't exactly the cute moment you had in mind, was it? Heh…don't worry. They'll have one – after their wedding…_

_Shit…I said that out loud didn't I? …uh, what wedding? Weddings are a myth. You're hearing things, people!_

_SG – aw crap…they're Chinese…ack. Okay, they're officially Japanese in my fanfic. I don't know Chinese anyway. –feels really stupid now– Y'know I probably should have paid attention to that part…Fin and Melisanne's relationship will come to surface in the next Chapter. Fin will actually tell Diana about it too…_

_mariks1andonly – we'll have their moment, like I said…heee…_

_Sara – great stuff! I like the story so far. I might throw in Lauren's character once more, just because she kinda appears once and then nobody knows what happens to Maia and they have no clue what or how she knows Nuri…so yeah, Maia will be back later on in the story._


	10. Double Duel to the Death

—_Yay! I finally have another Chapter up. Thank you all for being so darn patient with me. I know it's not hard, especially when I leave you with evil cliffhangers…heh. Okay, well I'll cut the chit-chat for now and let you read._

**Chapter Ten – Double Duel to the Death**

Everyone was very hesitant about the fact that Ryou had returned to their side. He explained that it was never his idea to betray anyone. That Bakura was doing this all for his sake.

"I say we hang the traitor!" Weevil snapped.

"Then that means we'd have to be hanged as well, idiot." Rex said with his arm around Serena's waist.

Simon was the only one to notice the odd way Ryou was clutching his materials. He was holding them as if they were a lifeline or the thread between life and death. Then the old Druid realized something and his eyes widened. The White Druid's soul had a gapping hole inside it. Simon stepped forward and put a comforting hand in Ryou's shoulder.

"You poor boy…" he said, quietly. "Nuriel was separated from you, wasn't he?"

Ryou was trembling now and he fell to his knees. "Nuri's gone! He's gone; I don't know where he is. Bakura severed our bond. That's why I came back. I did it because I couldn't take all the guilt. All the innocent people that the Immortal Thieves have killed…their blood stained me as well as Bakura. I'm to blame just like he is. Go ahead and hang me! I deserve this punishment…"

Cara crawled over to Ryou and gurgled softly, pulling at his robes. She buried her face in his arm and squealed happily. Ryou looked at her. "Bakura promised me he would spare two lives. The life of the Rose Duelist and the life of this child; but everyone else would be killed." Ryou picked Cara up and cuddled her.

"Can't you do something?" Tristan asked.

"Like what?"

"Stand up to him, dammit!" Joseph snapped. "You've got magic powers! Use 'em already!"

"I can't…" Ryou said quietly. "I wish Nuri was here."

"Ryou?" the White Druid looked over his shoulder and saw Jhada standing behind him. The half-elf looked at him with concern in her silvery amber eyes. "It's been a while, my friend."

The White Druid jumped to his feet, dropping all his books and scrolls. He ran to his friend and embraced her, sobbing loudly. "Jhada! I'm so glad to see you again!"

Jhada hugged her friend and said, "Easy, Ryou, hon. Everything's going to be all right. Nuri's safe and sound."

Ryou released her and his eyes glistened with hope. "Really! Jhada, that's wonderful!"

"Yes. You will see him soon, I promise. But I have a feeling you didn't just come to be a part of the winning side."

Ryou nodded and turned to face everyone. "I have information on the Immortal Thieves. I'm going to tell you how to destroy them easily."

——————

"Fin…" Melisanne said in shock as she was walking towards Diana's room.

The elf blushed slightly when he saw the young servant. "Melisanne…um…" _Quick, Fin,_ he thought to himself, _say something witty. No! Say something charming! That's right…it works for Daelin…_

"Is something wrong, Fin?" Melisanne asked.

Fin cleared his throat and said, "Vanimle sila tiri."

Melisanne giggled and Fin blushed even more. _Dammit, I must've said the wrong thing._ Melisanne looked at him and asked, "Silly, I cannot speak in your language."

"Oh…uh, it means 'Your beauty shines bright.'"

Melisanne's face fell and Fin mentally slapped himself. "Melisanne, I—"

"I am not beautiful, Fin. Please do not say that again." Melisanne bowed her head and walked towards Diana's room.

She opened the door and saw Jun and Xiao sitting on the floor near Diana's bed. The two children were stroking and grooming the two pookas. But Diana was lying on the bed with her face buried in the pillows. Melisanne could hear muffled sobs coming from the pillows. Melisanne told her siblings to leave them alone for a while. Jun and Xiao obeyed and left, carrying Diamond Dust and Nuri with them.

Melisanne went closer to the bed and said aloud, "My lady? Is something the matter?"

Diana sat up and wiped her tears away. Her cheek was still red from where Yugi had slapped her. She told Melisanne everything and the servant sat on the bed and listened attentively. When Diana was through, Melisanne said, "Do you…love the King?"

"Of course. I will always love, Melisanne. He helped me believe in myself. I never believed I was strong, but Henry saw through my wretched life and gave me hope." Diana sniffled.

"Fin thinks I am beautiful."

"Fin?" Diana blinked. "That's so sweet. How do you feel?"

"I do not know. Is it possible for him to love someone like me?"

Diana stared at her. "There's nothing wrong with you, Melisanne. You're a very nice person."

"Thank you, Diana-san. But…what I mean is—"

"Diana!" Fin, of all people, burst into the room. "Daelin needs to see you outside now. It's very urgent!"

Diana stood and grabbed her staff. She smiled at Melisanne and hurried out with Fin behind her. They exited the castle only to be faced with two Immortal Thieves. Daelin was standing outside facing them. Diana came to stand beside him.

"So what's going on?"

"These Thieves are here to challenge you to a duel. They say if you win, they will stay out of Tanna Undome. But if you loose against both of them, then their entire army will pull out of Thar Amrun and invade the British Empire and slaughter everyone inside the castle first."

Diana frowned at them. "So which of you is going first, eh?"

The knight on the left stepped forward and spoke. His voice had a metallic sound to it. "We shall duel you together. The two of us against you, Rose Duelist."

"Excuse me! Those odds really aren't in my favor. I want a partner too!" Diana snapped.

"Very well. Choose your partner."

Diana looked at Daelin. "Would you mind dueling with me?"

Daelin was about to say yes, but then he noticed the staff she had and remembered that Diana had a Blue Eyes White Dragon in her deck. He gripped the shoulder that had been wounded by that same Dragon. "Sorry, Diana. I admire your strength and courage and dueling skills…but dueling with a Blue Eyes White Dragon is something I cannot do."

"Please Daelin…you're the only other duelist here, except for Rosenburg. And I would rather have my lungs ripped out than go crawling to Rosenburg for assistance." Diana said. "If you duel with me, then I promise not to use my Dragon."

Daelin was silent for a few minutes, but then nodded. "All right. This is a double duel between me and Diana vs. you two jackasses. First team to zero life points looses. Any questions?"

"No. But you won't like how we double duel." said the second knight. Suddenly a black whirlwind surrounded them and Daelin and Diana were lifted high above Thar Amrun. Surrounding them was darkness and it was freezing cold. Daelin had his armor to keep him warm, but Diana felt like an ice cube.

Four, little orbs of blackish-purple light floated around each duelist. The first knight said, "Each orb represents 1000 life points. When you loose 1000 life points, then one orb will strike your body, draining a little bit of your life away. When you reach zero, you will die."

Diana rubbed her arms. "You could at least make it slightly less cold, boys."

"Don't worry, Diana. You and I are both strong duelists. We'll slaughter these two." Daelin said.

"Right." She summoned Val and Daelin summoned Buster Blader.

The first knight summoned Vampire Lord as his deck leader and the second summoned Banisher of Light (100/2000). Diana and Daelin were worried now. _"Val, that card is bad news. As long as it's face-up, the cards that go to the Graveyard, stay in the Graveyard. Monster Reborn is useless."_

"_Yes I know, my lady. But we will triumph."_ Val said.

"Let the double duel begin. I shall start off." said the first knight. "And I play Gora Turtle (1100/1100) in defense mode." A turtle with big amber eyes and a puckered mouth appeared in front of Vampire Lord. "Now you cannot summon any monster with an attack power of 1900 or more. It's the girl's turn now."

Diana drew and summoned Harpy Lady #3 (1300/1400) in defense mode with one card face-down. The second knight's turn and he played Skull Dog Marron in attack mode. Daelin drew and smirked. "I summon Warrior Dai Grepher (1700/1600) in attack mode." A muscled man in a tight, black outfit, carrying a long sword appeared in front of Buster Blader. "Warrior Dai Grepher, attack his Gora Turtle!"

Gora Turtle was destroyed easily and the first knight lost 600 points, not enough for one of the orbs to strike him, though. Daelin ended his turn by playing a card face-down. It was back to the first knight and he played a monster face-down in defense mode and that was it.

_I can't exactly figure these two out,_ Diana thought. _They don't duel like experts and one of them already has 3400 life points. They've got good cards though, I'll give them that much._ She couldn't activate her face-down card until one of the Knights played a magic or trap card. Diana drew and said, "I summon Raging Flame Sprite in attack mode." A little girl with a body engulfed in flames appeared next to Harpy Lady.

"I activate Raging Flame Sprite's special ability. Sprite, attack the second knight's deck leader directly." The Sprite threw a huge fireball and it crashed into Banisher of Light perfectly. The Knight only lost 100 life points, but it was a start. "Since my attack was successful, I can increase my Sprite's attack power by 1000." Now Raging Flame Sprite's attack was 1100.

The second Knight was up now. He drew and said, "I summon Absorbing Kid from the Sky in attack mode." A fat child with angel-like wings appeared on the field (1300/1000). "Now attack her Raging Flame Sprite!" The Kid flew forward and punched Flame Sprite, destroying it. Diana's life points were at 3800.

"Now I can activate Absorbing Kid's special ability. Since your Raging Flame Sprite was a Level 3 monster, I can increase my life point by 3 times that much." Now the second Knight had 4800 life points! _Maybe I was wrong about these guys,_ Diana thought.

"_They're a little better than what I thought."_ Daelin said to Buster Blader.

Buster Blader nodded and looked at Val. _"You attacked Evil Diana before. Can you attack again?"_

"_I do not know."_ Val replied.

Daelin sighed. It was his turn now. "Warrior, attack Absorbing Kid." Warrior Dai Grepher swung his sword and sliced Absorbing Kid away. The second Knight lost 400 life points.

The first Knight's turn and he passed. Diana blinked in surprise. She and Daelin exchanged confused glances. But Diana continued with her turn. She drew and smiled. "I summon Dark Magician Girl in attack mode and I'll increase her attack with Black Pendent."

Dark Magician Girl appeared and her attack power went up to 3000. "Dark Magician Girl, attack the first Knight's monster." Dark Magician Girl shot a beam of dark pink light at the first Knight's face-down card and destroyed it. Diana saw the card just before it vanished. It was Morphing Jar.

"Now all four of us must return our monsters on the field to our decks and then shuffle our decks, then we draw until we have the same number of new cards as the number of monsters we lost." the first Knight said.

The way he explained it was confusing, but Diana already knew what Morphing Jar did. She returned Dark Magician Girl and Harpy Lady to her deck and shuffled her deck. Now she could draw two new cards. Daelin and the second Knight could only draw one, but the first Knight wasn't able to draw any new cards.

It was the second Knight's turn and he put a monster face-down in defense mode. Daelin was up now and the strategy of these Knights puzzled him greatly. _All they've been doing is playing monster/effect cards,_ he thought. _I have yet to see either of them play a magic or trap card. Do they not have any? If that's the case, then Diana and I should have a serious advantage over them._

"I summon Hayabusa Knight in attack mode. Hayabusa, attack Vampire Lord directly." The falcon-headed warrior slashed Vampire Lord, making the first Knight's life points go down by 1000. One of the orbs slammed into the first Knight, making him stumble, but no exclamation of pain came forward.

Daelin ordered Hayabusa to attack the second Knight, making his life points go down to equal Diana's. An orb smashed into the second Knight and his reaction was the same as the first one's. "Good one, Daelin." Diana said.

"Thank you. Now we just need to destroy one and leave the other all alone."

"Right." Diana nodded. She drew and smiled. "I summon Luster Dragon #2 in attack mode!" Luster Dragon #2 had an attack of 2400, which was the exact number of the first Knight's life point count. "Now my beast, attack Vampire Lord and wipe out the Knight's life points!"

Luster Dragon #2 shot a burst of emerald green flames at Vampire Lord, destroying him. The first Knight lost and the rest of his orbs slammed into him, scorching his body to ashes. The second Knight was left all alone against Diana and Daelin.

"My partner may be gone, but I have a card in my deck that will destroy you both."

"I'll believe it when I see it." Diana said.

"You will see…just wait a little longer." the Knight said.

—_Oh…fun Chapter, eh? Notice Yugi never mentions that he hit Diana…Jhada's gonna stick with Yugi and the others for now. Considering she knows Ryou pretty well, she's gonna offer him some comfort as a friend should. Those Knights sound like wimps, huh? Yeah they are…oh and what Buster Blader does in the next Chapter is gonna be a sort of semi-surprise to everyone. –review responses–_

_Jaded – Jhada has yet to find out about Yugi hitting Diana, obviously. But she will in the next Chapter and she won't like it either…the sparks of a Jhada and Daelin romance will become evident in the next Chapter too, if I can squeeze that in, which I probably can_

_Swift – Yugi and Diana are the classic example of a "cute couple." Of course they'll work it out. Glad you solved your parent problems…-sighs-_

_SG – heh…Fin called her beautiful to her face. Ain't that cute? xD Yeah…Japanese works for them. I didn't wanna kill Nuri. He's so adorable. o.O Yes you heard a hint of a wedding. Don't get ahead of the fanfic…yet…_

_DarkShadow – whoa…you said my name…that kinda jumped out at me. Well, what do you think? Daelin and Diana in a double duel…I had to make Daelin involved in at least one more duel. Otherwise people might he was just a one-time duelist or something. I want them to think he's a man of action or something like that._

_mariks1andonly – Gah! I keep forgetting to e-mail you about Chapter updates! –smacks self– I'm sorry…Henry hit her only because Diana compared his obsessive behavior to Rosenburg's. Of course, Henry hates Rosenburg's guts, so that comment kinda pissed Henry off. (This is the 1400s, you understand. It was okay to do that sort of thing, I guess.)_

_Sara and company with Lauren the fairy – oh the drama…tis a freakin' soap opera. Crap! –lol– Okay, take your time with that story. I can wait…_


	11. the Phoenix and King Dragun

—_Please forgive me for not updating in a very long time. I would go into a long, involved story, but…no, I won't. Short version: College work has been piling up, Spring Break vacation, and my grandmother had to get her hip replaced and she's been feeling pretty bad. Care to hear the long version or would you prefer to read my fanfic? Yeah…I thought you'd want the fanfic…Recap: Daelin and Diana are in a double duel – although now it's a triangular duel – with an Immortal Thief (who shall be known as "the Knight")_

**Chapter 11 – the Phoenix and King Dragun**

It was the Knight's turn now. He drew and made a noise that sounded like a chuckle. "I lay this all powerful card face-down and end my turn." He seemed to stare directly at Diana. "It won't be long now, Rose Duelist. Soon my ultimate strategy shall fall into place and you and your little sweetheart will fail."

"Sweetheart!" Diana looked at Daelin who coughed uncomfortably. Diana turned back to the Knight with a scowl on her face. "Henry Tudor is my sweetheart, not him! No offense, Daelin."

"None taken, Diana. You're not exactly my type." Daelin muttered.

Diana sneezed in annoyance. "Shut up and take you turn."

Daelin drew. _About time I drew this card,_ he thought. "I switch Hayabusa to defense mode and play another monster face-down also in defense mode." Hayabusa knelt on one knee with his sword across his chest.

"We skip my partner's turn. Now it's to the girl." The Knight said.

"Gee thanks." Diana grunted. She drew from her deck and thought to Val, _"I wonder what thisultimate strategyis, Val."_

"_Not sure."_ Val said. _"That face-down card is perhaps the only magic or trap card he's played throughout the entire duel."_

"_This Knight disgusts Daelin and me."_ said Buster Blader to both Val and Diana. _"Daelin says that the Knight's whole 'ultimate' strategy actually depended on his partner's failure."_

"_You mean the other Knight sacrificed himself so that this guy could bring forth whatever he's planning on summoning! That's horrible!"_ Diana said.

Buster Blader gripped his sword tighter. _"I do not like this Knight, Daelin. I want to slash him myself."_

"_If Val can attack, then so can you…I hope."_ Daelin replied. He looked at Diana and said, "Hurry and take your turn."

Diana blinked. "Oh…right, okay…" She looked at her hand. So far she had Lust Dragon #2 on the field to protect Val, but who knew what monster the Knight would play next.

"I switch Luster Dragon #2 into defense mode." Diana said.

Now it was the Knight's turn. He drew and laughed wickedly. "Here it is! My great creature! Come forth, Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys!"

"Sacred what!" Diana exclaimed as a huge metallic yellow bird with a long neck appeared, its flaming orange eyes glowing. –Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys (2400/1600)–

"Diana, Luster Dragon is just as powerful as that card! Don't worry!"

"She has right to worry, Thar Amrun Champion." the Knight said. "For now I play this magic card, Lightning Vortex."

"Crap…now he can destroy all of our face-up monsters." Diana murmured. The Knight discarded a card from his hand and bolts of lightning came down and struck Hayabusa and Luster Dragon, destroying them both. Lucky for both Diana and Daelin, their monsters were in defense mode.

_At least my Lord of Dragons was face-down,_ Daelin thought. _But now Diana has no monsters to protect herself. Darn her…_

Daelin was up now anyways. He drew and smiled. "I play Graceful Charity." He drew three more cards and discarded two. "I play one card face-down and end my turn."

The Knight narrowed his eyes. _He is clearly the stronger duelist,_ he thought. _But the girl is strong as well. However…she is limiting her strength. But why…_

Diana's turn. _I have to draw a strong card, but I promised Daelin that I wouldn't use my Blue Eyes White Dragon._ _Without my Blue Eyes, I can't summon my Guardian Mage or Val's ultimate form, the Dragon Mage._ She drew and sighed. "I play Kuriboh in defense-mode and that's it."

"_The hell is your duelist up to?"_ Buster Blader said to Val, purposefully letting Diana hear him.

"_She's working on a strategy."_ Val snapped at him. _"Diana, is something wrong?"_

"_No."_ Diana lied. _The truth is…without my precious Dragon,_ she thought, _I feel limited in my dueling abilities. But I suppose it's my own fault really. Maybe I've come to rely too much on my Blue Eyes._

The Knight snorted. "Sacred Phoenix, destroy her Kuriboh!" The big bird shot a column of flames at Kuriboh…but it hit something else. A wall of rainbow lights!

"What? The girl has no traps!"

"But I do." Daelin said. "I activated Mirror Force to protect Diana's Kuriboh. Now your attack gets directed right back at your giant turkey."

But Sacred Phoenix wasn't destroyed. Daelin blinked. "What the hell?"

The Knight laughed. "My creature cannot be destroyed by trap cards, you foolish boy! That includes the effect of your Mirror Force."

Daelin frowned. _Dammit,_ he thought. He looked at Diana. "Don't let me down, Diana. I sacrificed my trap card for you. How about showing a little more muscle?"

"I'm trying, okay!" Diana shouted.

"_Diana, please don't fight. You and Daelin must work together to defeat this Knight."_ Val said.

Daelin look Diana in the eyes and realized what was happening. He turned away form her glare. "Just because you aren't using your Dragon doesn't mean you can't duel like a champion, Diana. You are a strong duelist, I know it. If you can prove that to Jhada, then prove it to me."

Diana sighed. "I'll try, Daelin."

"Good." Daelin said. "My turn…" He drew and smiled. "Say your prayers, Knight. I switch my Lord of Dragons to attack mode, face-up." Lord of Dragons appeared in front of Buster Blader. "Now I summon Divine Dragon Ragnarok and fuse my two monsters together with Polymerization!"

A swirling vortex appeared above Daelin's two monsters and swallowed them up. Then a new creature descended from the vortex as it disappeared. This creature had the upper body of Lord of Dragons, but its lower half was that of a dragon; a long body with orange colored scales and black wings with fire all down its spine. –King Dragun (2400/1100)–

"W-What is that!" the Knight asked.

"This is King Dragun and he has just as much attack power as your Phoenix. Oh and thanks to his special ability, you can't attack any dragon type monsters on our side of the field."

"Damn. But I can still attack your King Dra—"

"Uh no. King Dragun is a dragon type monster, you idiot." Daelin said. _"Buster Blader, pass this message on to Diana…"_

"_Diana."_ said Buster Blader.

Diana blinked_. "Yes?"_

"_There is a way that you summon your Dragon Mage. There's a trap card you can use, but Daelin and I do not know if you have such a card. It can change any monster you choose into a dragon-type."_ Buster Blader said to her_. "Daelin told me to tell you this."_

_Wait,_ Diana thought. _I know what card he's talking about! The trap card, D. Tribe. I do have that card! Now if only I can draw it._ It was her turn now. She drew and played Swords of Revealing Light. Now Knight couldn't attack for three turns.

"Since we're playing in a triangular pattern, by your next turn, Diana, the Swords will be gone." Daelin said.

Diana looked at him. "I think I can draw the card I need in that much time."

Knight's turn now and he drew. "I play Spell Absorption! Now for every magic card you both have played in your last turns, my life points increase by 500 points." Polymerization and Swords of Revealing Light were both magic cards.

"Shit…now his life points increase by 1000." Daelin muttered.

"Daelin, that card is a continuous magic card." Diana said.

Daelin looked at her. "What!"

"That card stays on the field. It doesn't go away after this turn." Diana said.

"_Shit, shit, and double shit!"_ Daelin cursed to Buster Blader. _"Now we can't play magic cards anymore."_

"_But the card Diana needs to draw is a trap card. I just hope she gets it before those Swords fade."_ Buster Blader said.

"_Me too, old friend."_ Daelin replied. He drew from his deck and played Spear Dragon in defense-mode.

It was the Knight's turn. "I lay one card face-down and end my turn. And just to remind you, my deck leader makes it impossible for you to use Monster Reborn."

Diana touched the card on the top of her deck and prayed to every god she knew that it was D. Tribe. When she drew the card, it took everything she had to keep from squealing with joy. The Swords of Revealing Light vanished and the Knight laughed with triumph.

"I wouldn't laugh if I were you, fella." Diana said. "I play the trap card, D. Tribe!"

"D. Tribe? What's that card do?" the Knight asked.

"It changes any monster I want into a dragon. And I choose my deck leader!" Diana replied. Val's body began to glow and transform into Valkyria the Dragon Mage. With 3650 attack points, Val was far more powerful than Sacred Phoenix.

The Knight took a step back. He had all four his orbs left and had 4400 life points. "It's not enough to wipe me out!" he snapped.

"My Dragon Mage gains a 1000 attack and defense bonus with every light monster on the field. That means your deck leader makes my monster more powerful!" Diana said. Now Val was 4650 attack and 4000 defense strong.

Daelin smiled. "And my Buster Blader's special ability allows me to attack one of your monsters during Diana's turn." _(Author: I gave Buster Blader an extra special ability.)_

"Good ahead, Daelin." Diana said.

"B-But…the Perfect Rule…" the Knight stammered.

"The Perfect Rule has been shattered!" Daelin shouted. "Go, Buster Blader! Attack his Sacred Phoenix." Buster Blader rushed forward and slashed Sacred Phoenix in half. The Knight lost 200 life points.

Diana smiled. "With 4200 life points left, my mage can easily wipe you out." Val flexed her claws and slashed Banisher of Light. The deck leader was destroyed and the darkness around the dueling field started to swallow the Knight's body.

"MASTER!" the Knight screamed as the shadows engulfed him. When it was quiet, more orbs started to appear. One crashed into Diana's body and she retched. It left like somebody had ripped her arm right out of its socket. Another orb crashed into Daelin who grunted in pain, but his armor protected his body from most of the damage. Orbs started smashing into Diana and Daelin left and right. Val and Buster Blader tried to protect them, but the orbs went right through the monsters.

"D-Daelin…what's happening?" Diana asked.

"It…must be…Bakura." Daelin lurched as two more orbs slammed into his wounded shoulder. He screamed in agony as another orb cut away his blindfold.

_I won't let mynew friend die,_ Diana said. She drew a card and gasped in pain. It was her precious Dragon. "Blue Eyes, save him!" Diana threw the card at Daelin and the Blue Eyes White Dragon appeared and grabbed Daelin, taking him back to Thar Amrun.

Val, now back to her original form, grasped Diana's hand. "Diana!"

Another orb slammed into Diana's back and she fell over, still holding Val's hand. "I'm…sorry, Val." Everything went black as Diana heard Val sobbing her name.

—_Whoa…now would I really kill off the main character? o.O umm…dunno yet. Sacred Phoenix, King Dragun, Spell Absorption, and Divine Dragon – all of those cards are real. They're from the Flaming Eternity card set. I may have bent Phoenix's effects just a little. But they're all awesome cards. – Okay…Review Responses:_

_Swift – Now you know the Knight's card o.o; Not much, but yeah…I was getting tired of making up cards. Yes, solved the parent problem (for now anyways) Now I must solve the huge pile of schoolwork problem…_

_SG – my homie g! xD (eep…sorry…scary, hyper American talk) You'll have to find out about Yugi and Diana next chapter probably. I don't think I'll need anymore information about Melisanne…I don't think I will. For right now, I think I've got the info. I need x)_

_Jaded – heh…Buster Blader pulled a Val I guess x) -loves that phrase now- He got to attack Sacred Phoenix, so yay! No, Jhada won't be happy when she finds out about Yugi hitting Diana. Nobody else will either._

_DarkShadow – ack…I forgot about the card list you gave me x( -feels stupid now- But don't worry! Daelin has one more duel coming up and I'll be sure and use those cards you suggested._

_mariks1andonly – I will…promise. I'll try to o.o_

_Darkfox – yes I do go on Neopets. My usernames on there are iamladyliz and valistar._

_Cataracta – yeah you're right. I think it's bound…x) Thanks for correcting me, appreciate it! xD_

_Sara, the gang, and Lauren the fairy – Bell's duel will come soon. Maybe in Chapter 13. I haven't decided yet, though. I think she might duel Rosenburg for his humanity. Or something…dunno yet. It is interesting to make Yugi and Diana fight. Not every couple has a perfect relationship! O.o_

—_Thanks for your patience, everybody! I will try to update when I can, but final exams are coming up. Which means…my school year as a college freshman is coming to a close, so I have to work extra hard for the next three weeks. I promise to update when I have some free time. That's highly unlikely, but I shall NOT let you guys down!_


	12. the Invasion of Daelin's Castle Begins

—_Finally, I got to another chapter of Sapphire Rose. It's been hectic, lemme tell ya! Anyways, so Diana's trapped somewhere and well somebody has gotta rescue her! Enjoy Chapter 12, faithful readers!_

**Chapter 12 – the Invasion on Daelin's Castle Begins**

Diamond Dust mewed loudly and painfully when she felt Diana slipping away. Xiao and Jun jumped away from her when this happened. They were only children and didn't understand the concept of a pooka bounding its soul with a human's soul. But Nuri understood and rushed to Diamond Dust's side.

"What's wrong, lovely? Is it Diana?"

The silvery gray pooka was trembling and making such pitiful noises that Jun began to weep with worry. Nuri gestured for them to leave at once. Xiao took his sister away as Nuri nudged Diamond Dust onto his back. He carried her towards Daelin's throne room. Both pookas heard a whirl of commotion outside. Nuri carried his love outside and gasped when he saw Daelin being carried out of a big black thing in the sky by a Blue Eyes White Dragon.

Fin and Melisanne ran outside too and they immediately went to assist Daelin. Fin was the first to reach his friend followed by Melisanne.

"Dark Shadow, you okay?" Fin asked as he helped Daelin out of the Dragon's claw. Melisanne watched as the Dragon looked up at the black thing in the sky and gave a growl that sounded more mournful than threatening. What did this mean?

"I won't forget this day, Fin." Daelin said. "I was actually saved by the same Dragon I've come to loathe all these years."

Fin looked up at the creature. "That's Diana's Dragon, isn't it? Where is she?"

Daelin looked around and saw Buster Blader standing nearby. _"She didn't make it out, did she?"_

"_No Daelin. She ordered her Dragon to save you and that's the last I heard from her. I tried to contact Valkyria, but there was no response."_

Daelin looked at Fin. "I…Diana risked her life to save mine. If we can find her, I owe her a great debt."

Nuri came over, still carrying Diamond Dust. The gray pooka lifted her head up to Daelin. Her eyes were clouded with pain and misery. "I d-don't know…where Diana i-is, but…she…she's a-alive…barely…"

"Don't talk, Diamond Dust." Daelin said. He looked up and saw Melisanne staring at the Dragon. "Melisanne!" The girl snapped back to reality and bowed. "Go get me another blindfold, please. You know where I keep my spare ones."

Melisanne straightened and went back to the castle. Daelin looked up at the Blue Eyes. _It wants to find its mistress,_ he thought. Daelin turned back to Fin. "There must be somebody who can find Diana."

"I know someone." Nuri said.

Both Fin and Daelin looked down at him. "Who?" they asked in unison.

"My Druid, Ryou. The one I was separated from. He knows Bakura's magic better than anyone else. He can find Diana, I know he can." Nuri replied. He was hoping Daelin would agree to find Ryou. He wanted so badly to see his companion again.

Fin looked at Daelin and said, "He has a point. Ryou and Bakura were lovers once, but then Bakura severed the bond between Nuri and Ryou."

"And Ryou's a White Druid." Nuri added. "You can't get a more powerful Druid ally than that."

"Good point." Daelin said under his breath. "All right. Fin, I have no doubt Ryou is with King Henry and Jhada right now. Go and bring Jhada and the White Druid back here to me. We've got a Rose Duelist to find and rescue."

Fin nodded and left. Melisanne came back minutes later with the blindfold and handed it to Daelin who tied it on immediately. "Thank you, Melisanne."

"Sir, forgive my asking, but why do you wear a blindfold? You have such nice eyes." Melisanne said, timidly.

Daelin walked passed her. He stopped for a brief minute and said over his shoulder, "That's a surprising question. It would be like me asking you why you keep your whole body covered."

Melisanne flinched at those words and responded, "Forgive me, Lord Daelin."

———————

It was dark…and cold. Diana couldn't feel anything. All she saw was darkness; like the night sky without stars or moonlight. She couldn't tell if her eyes were open or closed. She couldn't even feel herself blinking. Where was Val? Did Valkyria make it out safely? And Diamond Dust! No doubt the pooka was feeling whatever Diana was feeling. No doubt everyone was worried about her. At least Daelin was safe and could hopefully lead the fight against those awful Immortal Thieves.

"_Val? Valkyria?"_ Diana called out to her faithful magician.

No answer.

"_Oh Val…where am I?"_

Then there was a stinging sensation surging throughout her entire body. Diana wanted to cry out in pain and fear, but her voice didn't work. Then she heard a menacing laughter float through the air. She recognized that laugh as Bakura's. Then a light came from somewhere, though it was hard to see the source. Diana saw strange tentacle-like things wrapped around her body. They were feeding off her power! It looked more like grape-flavored taffy than tentacles.

"That's right, Rose Duelist." Bakura's voice hissed. "Surrender your power so that my Knights can grow stronger."

Diana tried to struggle against her bindings, but she didn't have the strength. Finally she found her voice. "Let me go, you ungrateful bastard! If it weren't for my help, you would still be under Rosenburg's command!"

"Ha! I could have killed Rosenburg any time I wished. You see, Rose Duelist, I have been planning this invasion for years now. Ever since I met Ryou and he told me of the torments and tortures life has thrown at him, I have wanted to create a world where Ryou and I could live in peace and he would have no fear of anything."

"I realize you love Ryou and I have nothing against such love, but Ryou wouldn't—and _couldn't_ for that matter—approve of this plan!"

"But he does. He is confused by every lie that everyone else has told him."

_He's a complete loony,_ Diana thought. "You promised your army would stay out of Tanna Undome if Daelin and I won the duel."

"I have kept my promise. Besides, there is more immortality to steal in Thar Amrun."

Diana groaned. Instead of helping Thar Amrun, she just made everything worse. "What exactly does the immortality do? Provide your Knights with everlasting life?"

"No. Immortality is merely particles in the air and in everything we see. I bet you didn't know that, Rose Duelist. Immortality attaches itself to a being. When enough immortality attaches to a being, then that being becomes unaffected by time and aging. When immortality is taken away from a being and collected together without being tied to a living creature, then the immortality becomes energy. What a powerful energy! Powerful enough for me to create living, breathing orgasms."

"And your Knights have no emotions…"

"That is because my Knights are not human or animal or anything. They are simply beings of energy. And your power…" Bakura laughed. "…is making them stronger."

———————

"Beings of energy?" Joseph repeated. At the same time, Bakura had explained the creation of the Knights to Diana, Ryou was explaining the exact same thing to Yugi and the others back in the British Empire.

"Yes, Joseph." said Ryou as he spread a scroll out on the table in Yugi's council chamber. On the scroll was a drawing of a Knight standing at attention and little notes that only Simon, Jhada and Ryou could understand.

"What's all that dribble on the side?" Rex asked, pointing at the notes.

"It looks like an ancient form of Celtic writing." Yami said.

"It is." Ryou answered. "These notes are actually chants and spells that can be pieced together into a conjuring."

"A conjuring!" Simon exclaimed. "So that's how you created the Knights, Ryou."

"I didn't do it alone. I never studied this kind of magic. Bakura helped me and I gave him the power he needed to create the Knights. I feel so foolish."

"Hey, hey!" Weevil snapped. "Let's focus on destroying those Knights."

Jhada waved a dagger at Weevil. "Shut up, you!" She placed a gentle hand on Ryou's shoulder. "Time's wasting, my friend. Tell us how to destroy those things."

"Well, there are two weaknesses that the Knights have." Ryou replied. He pointed at the drawing of the Knight. "I never told my Kura this, but when I fashioned the armor for his Knights, I made two weak points in the armor, should this plan of Bakura's ever go too far. One of them is easy to find, but the other is not. The easy one is here." He touched a spot in the middle of the Knight's left shoulder plate. "Stab there and you'll destroy the Knight instantly. Unfortunately, it's easily detected by magical beings."

"Where is the other one, Ryou?" Yugi asked the White Druid.

"The other is harder to detect by any creature. It would take a being of immense power, like me or the Rose Duelist, to see it. It's here." Ryou took a quill and drew a line near the Knight's private area. "You have to slash the Knight there. You can't stab or it won't work. Oh and you must slash to the right, horizontally."

"Why to the right?" Weevil asked.

"It won't work if you slash any other way. So, remember, slash where I've indicated and always slash horizontally right. Otherwise, you won't kill it."

"What about our monsters?" Joseph asked.

"Your monsters are immortal." Ryou told him. "They'll be drained of their life if you use them. That goes for Jhada too. She's part immortal."

"Oh well. If I get my immortality sucked up, I'll still be alive. It may cut my life down by a thousand years, but who cares?" Jhada shrugged.

Suddenly, Serena came in and said, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but an elf wishes to speak with all of you. He says his name is Fin."

"Fin!" Yugi said. Everyone hurried out of the council chamber and saw Fin standing in the throne room. The recuperating Bandits were looking at him strangely. Tea sat among them, holding a sleeping Catherine in her arms.

"Fin, what is it?"

"Your Majesty, forgive me, but…it's Diana." He explained about Diana and Daelin dueling two Immortal Thieves and about how the Blue Eyes White Dragon saved Daelin's life, but Diana had been trapped somewhere.

Yugi clenched his fists in anger. "I should have never left. I should have stayed to help her! Why did I hit her?" Suddenly, something barreled into him and knocked the King to the ground. He looked up to see Jhada standing over him, her amber eyes blazing with rage.

"You did WHAT! You damned bastard, how dare you hit the Rose Duelist! You blasted idiot! I could kill you!" Jhada ranted.

Ryou tugged at her arm. "Please calm down, Jhada. We need to save Diana."

"You're the only one we can depend on, White Druid." Fin said. "Nuri told me that you could find her."

Ryou's innocent eyes widened. "Nuri? Yes, I'll help you! Take me to the place you last saw Diana." He partly did want to help rescue Diana, but he partly wanted to see his pooka again.

"Then follow me, White Druid." said Fin and led the way as Ryou and Jhada followed.

———————

Bakura's crystal ball found Ryou the minute he entered Thar Amrun again. The evil Druid was enraged when the elf and half-elf took Ryou towards Daelin's castle. _He has betrayed me,_ thought Bakura. _They've filled his head with lies! LIES!_

He went outside to the courtyard of his misshapen palace. Thousands of Immortal Thieves stood looking in the direction of Daelin's castle, ready for orders.

"Feed on the strength and power of the Rose Duelist, my Knights! March towards Daelin Gryphonia's castle and tear it to pieces! Bring my Ryou back to me!" Bakura shouted across the field of Knights.

Kura's Knights picked up their spears that stored the immortality and armed themselves with swords and throwing knives. Then, in huge columns of silvery, deadly white armor, the Immortal Thieves marched the long distance towards Daelin's castle for the ultimate deed of destruction.

—_Darn my cliff-hangers! Mwhahaha! Keep a scout posted and I'll try to get another chapter ready. Don't kill me, I've been extremely busy! Dx – Review Responses:_

_SG – erm…Diana's gonna be okay. Of course, who knows want I'll come up with next – teehee…_

_DarkShadow – Glad you approve…Daelin is gonna have a major duel with his sister. It's got something to do with a mind trick, but…erm, can you e-mail me a description of Daelin's sister and maybe…some duel suggestions. Since it's your character after all…_

_mariks – I'm getting there. Glad to know that all my readers are very patient._

_Swift – heh…It's an addictive hobby. (That's a better term for an obsession) –lol–_

_Jaded – erm…Diana's trapped by Bakura. Does that count as "injure badly"? Unfortunately, Ryou and Nuri are gonna be separated forever. I'm still alive and kicking, yup. –lmao– I'm busy as heck these days…_

_Cat – Mind if I call you, "Cat"? I'm just lazy and would prefer not to spell out your whole name. O.o I didn't kill off Diana! –gasp– This wouldn't be called "Sapphire Rose" if I killed off the main character. – teehee_


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